VOA标准英语2013--美国政府关门令印度吃惊

 

Shutdown of US Government Surprises India 美国政府关门令印度吃惊

NEW DELHI — News of the U.S. government shutdown is being met with surprise and concern in one of Asia's largest economies.  A sampling of people in the Indian capital, New Delhi, suggests there are worries the partial closure of the federal government will have ramifications¹ across the globe.

At this New Delhi coffee shop, college students pepper this reporter with questions about how such an impasse² could happen in a country like the United States.

“It’s actually very surprising that the number one superpower as we know the U.S. is shutting down," said Meher Rana, a first-year stuident at Jesus and Mary College in New Delhi. "It’s very surprising.”

Rana is worried the effects will be felt as far away as India and will hit particularly close to home.

“Everybody expects the U.S. to be the dominant³ market," she said. "Even my father, he is an exporter and he has been working with North America and parts of South America for a really long time.  And the economy is really going down, the government is shut, so it’s going to affect him and we are all really shocked.”

Across town at a conference aimed at supporting Indian small companies, business manager Hashim Baqai, who is used to such political wrangling⁴ in his own country, shakes his head in disbelief.

“As we know, the U.S. is such a developed country compared to India and it is really difficult to understand how it happened there," Baqai said.

Business leaders here are wary⁵ of the global economic impact of a U.S. government shutdown, as India is already struggling with slow economic growth and a falling rupee.

That issue is very much on the mind of Rajeev Khatri, a general manager at Sietz Technologies India, a manufacturer of tractor parts.

“We are worried about the economy now," Khatri said. "The Indian economy is in bad shape as it is. Let’s see what happens now.”

Many here in India hope the political deadlock⁶ in the United States will be brief, keenly aware that the negative impact on the American economy may also be felt across the globe. 

1 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

3 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

4 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

5 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

6 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。