VOA标准英语2011--Europe Spending Cuts Prompt Street Prote

Europe Spending Cuts Prompt Street Protests

Demonstrations¹ are taking place in cities across Britain as hundreds of thousands of public sector² workers stage the biggest strike in years against pension cuts. On the other side of Europe in Greece, there have been more demonstrations as politicians there vote through the latest round of austerity measures. The spending cuts taking hold in many European countries could hail a summer of protests across the continent.
Europe's debt crisis is starting to bite - and it's bringing thousands of people onto the streets.
In Britain, teachers' and public workers' unions called a strike Thursday. Thousands of members joined marches against plans to increase the retirement³ age. Outside Westminster Abbey - where the royal wedding united the country in celebration just 2 months ago - the streets were filled with demonstrators.
"It's not fair. We can't be working in that kind of pressurized environment to the age of 68. I'm going to be paying twice the amount that I'm currently paying and I'll get even less," said a protester.
"We are not about to roll over. Bankers played dice⁴ with our futures⁵, why are we paying for it?," said the other.
"Rather than taking what's dished out and being like "OK", and letting the government think that could do more, at least they understand now that people do feel about it and they're willing to turn up en masse to show people what they think about it," said another one.
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the industrial action. Many of them joined one of the 80 demonstrations taking place across the country.
The strike caused long queues at ports and airports as immigration and customs staff staged walkouts. Around a third of schools across Britain were closed, while court trials were delayed.
The British government has condemned⁶ the strikes, saying people are living longer so they will have to work longer too. It's part of a raft of spending cuts being pushed through parliament to tackle the public debt - currently running at almost $1.5 trillion, or 60 percent of GDP.
But Britain's burden pales when compared to fellow EU member Greece.
In Athens, parliament passed a second vote on Thursday to begin implementing⁷ austerity measures worth $40 billion. It means Greece will receive the next slice of a $156 billion bailout from the EU and the International Monetary⁸ Fund. The public reaction has been hostile - polls show 4 out of 5 Greeks disapprove⁹ of the measures.
The Greek government had warned that without the bailout it would run out of money by the middle of July - with dire¹⁰ consequences for both Greece and the wider world economy.
Across Europe there is a common belief uniting the protestors - they say they did not cause the financial crisis, so they should not be the ones who pay for it.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 dice   

n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险

参考例句：

• They were playing dice.他们在玩掷骰子游戏。
• A dice is a cube.骰子是立方体。

5 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

7 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

10 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。