VOA标准英语 ADB Predicts Sluggish Growth for Developing Asia

A new report predicts developing Asia's economic growth will slow by almost half this year, but the Asian Development Bank forecasts that the region will rebound¹ in 2010.

Developing Asian economies are likely to grow by an average of 3.4 percent in 2009, a steep drop from last year's growth of 6.3 percent. The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday issued the revised outlook for the region, just a few months after it predicted average growth of more than five percent.

Jong-Wha Lee is the ADB's acting² chief economist³. He says this year the region's economies will grow at the most sluggish⁴ pace since the Asian financial crisis a decade ago. But, he says, now developing Asia is in a much better position to cope with tough times.

Lee says large foreign currency reserves and steadily⁵ declining inflation rates help the region be more resilient. But, he says, Asia's current account surpluses have contributed to the world's economic woes⁶.

"So it's Asia's excess savings⁷ and the current account surpluses in a way helped allow the United States to maintain excessive household consumption and huge current account deficits," he said.

Lee says Asia should use its own savings more efficiently⁸ and productively, rather than sending the surplus to U.S. markets. The large foreign currency reserves provide Asian governments with funds to boost their flagging economies.

Government stimulus⁹ measures are expected to help China's economy grow by seven percent this year, although that is well below the 10 percent growth seen in recent years. India's economy is expected to grow at five percent in 2009, also well down from the past few years.

The ADB, a non-profit development lender, says Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan are likely to contract this year, as demand for exports dwindles¹⁰.

Southeast Asia is expected to grow by less than one percent in 2009. The drop in exports particularly will hurt Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Central Asia may grow by about four percent in 2009 as oil prices remain more than 60 percent below last year's peak.

Lee says it is important for Asian countries to strengthen and increase domestic demand, in response to weakening external demand. "This is not really only for the short-term measures to help the Asian countries coming out of this current economic slowdown," said Lee, "but also it helps Asian countries build up its own strengths to make them more resilient to large, external shocks."

Lee says the short-term outlook is bleak¹¹ as severe recession in industrialized economies hurts developing nations. But, if the global economy recovers slightly next year, developing Asia should see average growth of six percent in 2010.

1 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

9 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

10 dwindles   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Her husband grows rich in crime, her significance dwindles. 她的丈夫罪恶累累，她的形象也受到损害。 来自辞典例句
• The voice died away and ceased, as an insect's tiny trumpet dwindles swiftly into silence. 这声音逐渐消失，就象昆虫的小喇叭嘎然而止。 来自辞典例句

11 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。