VOA标准英语2011--Disagreements Flare at Euro Summit

Disagreements Flare¹ at Euro Summit

French President Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron have clashed at emergency meetings on the euro in Brussels. It comes as Members of Parliament in Britain debate a motion calling for a referendum on leaving the European Union altogether.

In front of the cameras, it was all smiles at Sunday’s summit in Brussels. But tensions still bubbled below the surface. French newspaper headlines highlighted a rift² between their president and German chancellor³ Angela Merkel.

Speaking Monday, French finance minister Francois Baroin insisted the talks were on track.

"I think that if one says two-thirds progress since last Friday, that would be a fair statement,” he said. “We have had an agreement on the disbursement⁴ of the final tranche of the previous rescue plan for Greece, and we have agreed on the level of recapitalisation of banks to deal with any shocks," said Baroin.

Modifying bailout fund

So exactly what has been agreed? European banks will be forced to raise 100 billion euros in new capital to shield them from losses.

Lenders also will be asked to write off much more than the 21% of Greek debts agreed back in July.

The biggest hurdle⁵ is boosting the firepower of the EU’s bailout fund.

Analysts⁶ say the current pot of 440 billion euros is too small to rescue Spain or Italy if they get into trouble.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy stated his case for a new way of raising revenue.

"We have reminded all of our European partners of our attachment⁷ to the introduction of a tax on financial transactions.,” he said. “It is a commitment that we took together and we will stick to it.”

Britain's objections

Britain, which is not part of the euro, opposes such a tax as its economy relies heavily on financial services. The prime minister says members of the single currency should not dictate⁸ policy to the whole Union.

"Treaty change can only happen if it is agreed to by all 27 member states of the European Union and any treaty change, as the last treaty change did, is an opportunity to advance our national interest,” said Cameron.

Anglo-French tensions are rising. Sarkozy is quoted as telling the British prime minister that he is ‘"sick of you criticizing us and telling us what to do."

Debating EU exit

Cameron meanwhile is fighting a European battle both abroad and at home.

Rebel MPs from his own Conservative party want to force a national referendum on whether to leave the European Union altogether.

The prime minister said with Europe in turmoil⁹, now is not the time for Britain to be stirring even more trouble.

EU leaders will meet again on Wednesday to finalize¹⁰ the rescue deal. Many hope this will mark the beginning of the end for Europe’s debt crisis.

1 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

2 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 disbursement   

n.支付，付款

参考例句：

• Marine bill of lading showing any disbursement charges marked COLLECT not acceptable. 海运提单上显示的任何费用标明“到付”将不予接受。
• This makes the disbursement of 51 channel is very convenient. 这就使得51的支付渠道非常方便。

5 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

8 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

9 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。

10 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。