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VOA慢速英语2015--选举会改变希腊的经济改革吗?

时间:2015-01-06 14:55:23

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Will Elections Change Economic Reforms in Greece? 选举会改变希腊的经济改革吗?

European officials are urging Greece to continue with economic reforms as the country prepares for early elections. The vote was called for this week after Greek lawmakers failed to elect a new president.

Some Greek citizens say they are not looking forward to the elections. Suzanna Steiner is one of them.

She says the vote should not be happening now. It is the worst time for the economy and for security, she says, and everyone is unhappy.

Dakis Voultsis is a businessman. He agrees with Suzanna Steiner.

He says the government should have been left to do its work. But, he says, now that early elections are set for January 25, Greeks will have to decide whom to vote for.

On Monday, parliament failed for the third time to elect a president. The failure forced Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to call for general elections.

His New Democracy Party controls what has been the ruling coalition1 in Greece. But the Syriza Party is more popular in opinion studies. Syriza says that if it wins control of parliament, “austerity will be history.” For years, the government has cut spending in an effort to solve a major debt crisis.

Alexis Tsipras is the leader of Syriza.

He says the new election will be the beginning of the end for the current leadership. He says the government sank Greece into poverty and worsened unemployment.

The Syriza party says it wants to renegotiate two economic rescue plans -- worth nearly $300 billion. The financial aid came from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary2 Fund. They made the aid dependent on Greece enacting3 strong measures aimed at ending its financial problems.

Opponents, however, say the spending cuts and tax increases have harmed the country. Greece now has an unemployment rate of more than 25 percent.

The economic crisis in Eurozone countries was at its height in 2010 and 2011. At that time, many observers feared that economic unrest in Greece might lead to its withdrawal4 from the European Union. They feared it could eventually lead to the single monetary union breaking up.

But today, observers say the fears are not so extreme. Dimitris Sotiropolous teaches political science at the University of Athens. He thinks Syriza would negotiate with international lenders and would not risk losing Greece’s place within the Eurozone if it won the election.

“Both competitors for power, New Democracy and Syriza, have pledged their will to stay within the Eurozone and also representatives of major European organs and institutions have already assured Greek government that there is a commitment to have Greece in the Eurozone.”

Germany’s finance minister said this week there is “no alternative” to structural5 changes in Greece. He warned of difficulties if Greece chose a “different path.” He said new elections will not change the agreements made with the Greek government.

I’m Mario Ritter.

*This report was based on a story from reporter Selah Hennessy in London. George Grow wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Words in This Story

elections - n. the process of choosing someone for public office

economy - n. the system by which money, industry and trade are organized

parliament - n. a government lawmaking group

poverty - n. the condition of being poor

Now it’s your turn to use these Words in this Story. In the comments section, write a sentence using one of these words and we will provide feedback on your use of vocabulary and grammar.


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1 coalition pWlyi     
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
参考例句:
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
2 monetary pEkxb     
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。
3 enacting 0485a44fcd2183e9aa15d495a9b31147     
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之,这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
  • In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外,介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。
4 withdrawal Cfhwq     
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销
参考例句:
  • The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
  • They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。
5 structural itXw5     
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的
参考例句:
  • The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
  • The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

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