VOA标准英语2014--经济学家关注跨国汇款

 

Remittances² High on Radar³ of World Economists⁵ 经济学家关注跨国汇款

Many migrants send small amounts of money - called "remittances" - home to friends and family members. But with 200 million international migrants out there, those small sums add up quickly.

In 2013, migrants around the world sent back $400 billion, far outweighing⁶ official aid to many countries and sometimes providing the largest source of foreign exchange.  This has economists wondering - can remittances boost not just a receiving family’s budget but that country’s economy too?

When Jean Claude Kazadi and his wife Myriam came to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo they immediately began sending money home.  They wanted to help family members left behind.

“That is the way we grew up.  We believe in supporting each other.  We believe in supporting our parents, specifically, and we believe in supporting our brothers and sisters.”

Jean Claude is a doctor who works on HIV Aids for Catholic Relief Services in Maryland.  He frequently visits Congo, and says he hopes he is helping⁷ his fellow Africans through his work.  But he knows that the $400 a month he sends home to his parents are a lifeline.

“If we don’t do something, do you think the government will actually do something to support my parents? They will not. They don’t care about it.”

Economist⁴ Adolfo Barajas of the International Monetary⁸ Fund (IMF) has been studying remittance¹ trends for a decade, watching how they affect receiving economies. 

“They have been growing tremendously from 1990 to 2010; they grew more than sevenfold,” says he.

Barajas says massive migration⁹ drives the trend, but notes a possible downside - that governments may be less efficient if they are receiving large windfalls of cash.

Economists have long said that remittances generally strengthen the families who receive them, by boosting their income.  But some are concerned that all this cash can cause a nation’s currency to appreciate, bidding up prices and making that country less competitive when it comes to, for example, exporting goods.

But economists, including Barajas, agree remittances affect a receiving country’s economy in many positive ways.  Dilip Ratha, is a remittance expert with the World Bank. 

“They provide incomes, they are a lifeline for people, they reduce poverty, they provide funding for business investment, human capital investments, education, health,” says Ratha.

Economists say that when countries are in conflict, like Jean Claude and Myriam’s  Democratic Republic of Congo, private investors¹⁰ tend to sneak¹¹ out, while remitters rush in.

"Because that is precisely¹² when the needs of the families left behind increase.  And to meet those needs, migrants send money home,” says Ratha.

For Myriam and Jean Claude Kazadi, it’s about showing their parents they have not forgotten them, even though they live so far away.

1 remittance   

n.汇款，寄款，汇兑

参考例句：

• Your last month's salary will be paid by remittance.最后一个月的薪水将通过汇寄的方式付给你。
• A prompt remittance would be appreciated.速寄汇款不胜感激。

2 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

3 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

4 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。

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 outweighing   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的现在分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Consider(sth good or positive)as balancing or outweighing(sth bad or negative) 视（某好的事物）可抵消或抵偿（某坏的事物） 来自互联网
• The accused and accusers all succeed in outweighing the Bible. 原告和被告都成功地通过了第一项测试。 来自互联网

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

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 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

12 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。