VOA常速英语2014--俄罗斯人在经济隐忧中庆祝新年

 

Russians Head Into Holiday Facing Economic Malaise 俄罗斯人在经济隐忧中庆祝新年

MOSCOW—

Russian preparations for the New Year holiday are clouded by economic recession and a tumbling currency, the ruble. Nonetheless, people in the Russian capital appear to be in a festive¹ mood.

俄罗斯人的新年假期笼罩在经济衰退和俄罗斯货币卢布下跌的阴影中。不过，首都莫斯科的居民看起来还是很有节日的情绪。

Despite economic worries, Moscow's residents and visitors are flocking to Christmas fairs to enjoy seasonal² and amusements.

尽管有经济上的担忧，莫斯科的居民和游客还是涌向各种庆祝圣诞节的活动场所，感受节日带来的愉悦。

But a fiscal³ freeze is descending⁴. Falling oil prices and Western sanctions have undermined the ruble, driving up prices for imported goods and pushing Russia toward a recession.

但是，财政上的麻烦越来越迫近。持续下跌的油价和西方的制裁对卢布产生了巨大的影响，导致进口物资价格飞涨，迫使俄罗斯一步步走向衰退。

President Vladimir Putin says the economic contraction⁵ will last a couple of years at most, but that is little comfort to many Russians, including shopper Soso.

俄罗斯总统普京说，经济紧缩至多只会持续一两年，但是，这并没有让许多俄罗斯人感到放松。居民索索正在购物。

"I'm trying not to think about it. It's very bad, we'll see how it develops. It's a nightmare," said Soso.

他说：“我试着不想这些事情，太糟糕了。我们会看到它将来的发展……这是一场噩梦。”

More Russians will be enjoying winter activities this season since they cannot afford to travel abroad.

今年的新年假期，更多的俄罗斯人可能会留在国内，享受这里的各种冬季活动，因为出国旅行太贵了。

Some take a pragmatic view of holiday business, like roasted chestnuts⁶ vendor⁷ Galina.

一些人对假日的经济抱持务实的态度，在街上卖烤栗子的加丽娜说：

"It seems to me that those who have money aren't going to economize⁸ on chestnuts, right? Maybe the old people, the pensioners⁹, or people with small salaries. But people who have money, they'll always have money," said Galina.

“对我来说，那些有钱人是不会省钱不买栗子的，是吧。也许老年人、拿退休金的人和那些薪水不高的人想省钱。但是，有钱人总是有钱。”

Holiday shoppers may be changing their spending habits, but they are still buying, said Maria, who sells knitted gifts.

在假日购物的人可能会改变他们的消费习惯，但是，他们仍然在购物， 出售手工针织礼品的玛丽亚说：

"In connection with our economic problems, people of course, are choosing less expensive and more practical items. But our goods are very marketable, so people are buying them as gifts despite their money problems," she said.

“鉴于我们的经济问题，大家在购物时当然会选择稍微不那么昂贵的、并且也更加实用的物品。但是，我们的产品非常畅销，所以，尽管有钱多钱少的问题，但是大家还是来买我们的产品当礼物。”

As Russia prepares to ring in a wallet-tightening New Year, a man portraying¹⁰ Grandfather Frost, the Slavic Santa Claus, gives some holiday words of advice.

俄罗斯人似乎要准备过一个收紧荷包的新年了，斯拉夫民族的圣诞老人“弗罗斯特爷爷”给大家几个节日的建议：

"I'm neither wizard, nor warlock, nor soothsayer. I'm simply a New Year's winter magician. Your New Year's depends on you. However you want it to be, however you celebrate it, whatever your New Year's wishes will be that night -- that's how the next year will be. Everything depends on you. So, if you have the desire for a better life, then that's how things will turn out," said Grandfather Frost.

“我不是巫师，也不是术士，更不是预言家，我只是新年的冬季魔术师。 你的新年会怎么样取决于你自己。不管你希望它怎么样，不管你希望如何庆祝，不管你那天晚上新年的愿望是什么—这就是下一年的情况。任何事情都取决于你自己。 因此，如果你希望过更好的生活，事情就会这样发展的。”

Despite the holiday magic, less optimistic voices say the Kremlin's failure to diversify¹¹ the economy and its continued actions in Ukraine threaten to plunge¹² the country into a full-fledged economic crisis.

尽管有节日的魔力，但是一些不那么乐观的人说，因为克里姆林宫没有将经济多元化，在加上俄罗斯在乌克兰的行动，俄罗斯经济有可能跌入全面的危机。

1 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

4 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

5 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

6 chestnuts   

n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马

参考例句：

• A man in the street was selling bags of hot chestnuts. 街上有个男人在卖一包包热栗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Talk of chestnuts loosened the tongue of this inarticulate young man. 因为栗子，正苦无话可说的年青人，得到同情他的人了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

7 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

8 economize   

v.节约，节省

参考例句：

• We're going to have to economize from now on. 从现在开始，我们不得不节约开支。
• We have to economize on water during the dry season. 我们在旱季不得不节约用水。

9 pensioners   

n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He intends to redistribute income from the middle class to poorer paid employees and pensioners. 他意图把中产阶级到低薪雇员和退休人员的收入做重新分配。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. 我自己就是一个我们的高贵的施主遗留基金的养老金领取者。 来自辞典例句

10 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

11 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

12 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。