VOA常速英语2008年-Economic Policy Makers Discuss Measures to Rest

By Barry Wood
Washington
12 April 2008

The governing body of the International Monetary¹ Fund is meeting Saturday in Washington to discuss a weakening global economy, inflation and proposals to stabilize² financial markets still reeling from bank losses stemming from the U.S. home mortgage crisis. VOA's Barry Wood reports.

The finance ministers and central bankers of 24 advanced and developing countries are discussing reforms collectively advanced by the G7 group of industrialized nations - in other words Europe, North America, and Japan.

Christine Lagarde is the French economy minister.

"The fact that we are asking for more transparency, more disclosure by the banks, on the one hand; the fact that we're asking for better liquidity³ by the banks as well, is certainly going to help the current crisis," he said.

Lagarde spoke⁴ to Bloomberg television.

The G7 proposals are usually accepted by the IMF's governing board.

On Friday evening, U.S. Treasury⁵ Secretary Henry Paulson hosted a meeting of his colleagues from Europe, Canada and Japan along with commercial bankers impacted by the current credit squeeze, the world's most significant financial turmoil⁶ since the Asian financial crisis 10 years ago.

Addressing the IMF panel on Saturday, Paulson said the first six months of 2008 will be difficult for the U.S. economy, which may have already entered its first recession since 2001. Paulson is calling on the 185-member-nation IMF to sharpen its focus on currency exchange rates and to more closely monitor financial markets.

These weekend meetings are the regular semi-annual gatherings⁷ of the IMF's governing panel, whose developing country members - among others - include China, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

The challenges currently facing the world economy are unusual since at the same time that economic growth is slowing inflationary pressures are rising.  Oil has touched a record $112 a barrel, and the price of rice has nearly doubled in just three months.

IMF economists⁸ expect the world economy to slow to under four percent growth in 2008, its slowest performance in five years.

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 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

3 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》