VOA慢速英语2003年-IMF Aid Plan for Argentina

By Cynthia Kirk
Broadcast: Septemer 13, 2003
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, In the News.
The International Monetary¹ Fund has agreed to help Argentina 2)refinance some of its debt. Argentine President Nestor Kirchner announced the deal Wednesday in Buenos Aires. The agreement is designed to help the country recover from its worst economic crisis.
The three-year agreement will refinance twenty-one thousand-million dollars of debt owed to international lenders. This includes more than twelve-thousand-million dollars owed to the IMF. Most of the rest is owed to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
The agreement needs official approval by the IMF board which meets in Dubai on September nineteenth.
The agreement came a day after Argentina failed to make a three-thousand-million dollar payment to the IMF. That was the largest single payment ever missed in the history of the IMF. Argentina says it repaid the money on Thursday.
Argentina had been working for weeks on a deal to refinance the loan payments to the IMF. Argentina wanted more time to pay.
Officials had criticized the IMF's demands in return for the aid program. The IMF had demanded that Argentina pay private banks for money lost during the economic crisis at the end of two-thousand-one. The crisis led the government to 3)devalue the 4)peso. The IMF had also demanded that Argentina permit private utility companies to increase their rates. The agreement does not include either of these demands.
IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler said the agreement is designed to help Argentina meet goals for growth, employment and social equity². He said it also would help the country's banking³ system and increase lending needed to support recovery.
In December of two-thousand-one, the IMF refused to extend loans to Argentina. It said the government had failed to control spending. Argentina declared itself unable to pay its huge public debt.
The new agreement means Argentina can now begin to negotiate ways to restructure its ninety-thousand-million dollars of private debt. Hundreds of international creditors⁴ are owed money. After that, Argentina could again borrow on financial markets, which in turn would help the economy.
The country's economic troubles were largely caused by too much spending by the government. The crisis in December of two-thousand-one deepened a 5)recession.
Argentines are still dealing⁵ with the crisis. Half of the country's thirty-six million people are poor. And there are few jobs. Many Argentines blame dishonest government officials for the problems.
Argentina's economy has shown some signs of recovery under President Nestor Kirchner. He took office earlier this year. He says further cuts demanded by the International Monetary Fund as part of economic reform would push the country back into recession.
In the News, from VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.
注释：
1) IMF (International Monetary Fund) 国际货币基金组织
2) refinance [5rifi5nAns] v.再为……筹钱，再供……资金
3) devalue [di:5vAlju:] v.减值，贬值
4) peso [5peisEu] n.比索（一种外国货币单位）
5) recession [ri5seFEn] n.工商业之衰退，不景气
 

1 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。