VOA慢速英语 英国富人财富比穷人增长快

AS IT IS 2015-12-27 Wealthy Britons Get Rich Faster Than the Poor 英国富人财富比穷人增长快

The British government reports that the country’s richest people are increasing their wealth three times as fast as the poorest.

The report is adding to worries about inequality in Britain.

The Office of National Statistics says the wealth of the richest 10 percent of British households increased by 21 percent between 2012 and 2014. It says much of the increase came from a rise in private retirement¹ payments, called pensions. The wealth of the lowest half of all households increased by just seven percent during the same time.

The report said the country’s total household wealth increased 18 percent to $16.6 trillion.

The richest 10 percent of households control about 45 percent of all of the country’s wealth. The poorest 10 percent control less than one percent.

The Conservative Party of Prime Minister David Cameron notes that the country has record levels of employment. And it says Britain’s economic growth is the fastest among developed economies. It says that shows living standards are improving across the country.

But opposition² parties say the country’s poorest people are suffering from the government’s plan to end the deficit³ by making large cuts to social welfare programs.

Words in This Story

household – n. the people in a family or other group who are living together in one house

living standards – n. the amount of wealth, comfort, and possessions that a person or group has

social welfare – expression government programs for poor or unemployed⁴ people that help pay for their food, housing, medical costs, etc.

1 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。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。