VOA常速英语2017--马歇尔计划70周年纪念

June marks the 70th anniversary of the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan. It was one of the most successful U.S. foreign policy initiatives of the 20th century, praised by Winston Churchill as “the most unselfish act by any great power in history”.

六月是欧洲复兴计划（又称马歇尔计划）的70周年纪念。该计划是20世纪最成功的外交政策举措之一，被丘吉尔盛赞为“人类历史上最大公无私的壮举”。

In the late 1940s, recovery from the devastation 1 of the Second World War proved to be extraordinarily 2 difficult for the economically devastated 3 countries of Europe. Two years after the war ended, Europe still had a long way to go just to catch up to pre-war agricultural and industrial output. Unemployment was high and food shortages persisted, further slowing down the recovery.

20世纪40年代末，经济衰败的各欧洲国家很难从二战的重创中恢复过来。二战结束的2年后，要赶上二战前的农业和工业输出水平，欧洲还有很长的路要走。失业率居高不下，粮食紧缺状况持续不退，这些都进一步放缓了经济复苏的步伐。

In an effort to stabilize 4 Europe and restore its industrial and agricultural production, the United States initiated 5 the Marshall Plan, named after then-Secretary of State George Marshall. Between April 1948 and December 1951, the United States poured $13 billion in direct investment into 17 Western European countries, including former foes 6 Germany and Italy. In today's money, that's around $130 billion. East European countries were also offered aid but had to decline it on orders of the Soviet 7 Union.

为了稳定欧洲的情况，恢复欧洲的工农业生产，美国发起了马歇尔计划，该计划是以时任国务卿乔治 马歇尔的名字命名的。1948年4月-1951年12月期间，美国向17个西欧国家豪掷了130亿美元的直接投资，其中甚至还包括美国此前的敌人德国和意大利。这笔资金相当于今天的近1300亿美元。东欧国家也得到了美国的援助，只不过对前苏联的援助力度有适当的减弱。

The investment jump-started Western Europe's heavy-industry base, provided jobs for millions of people, stabilized 8 the economic and political systems and raised the Gross National Product of the Marshall Plan countries by 15 to 25 percent. By 1951, it was clear that the initiative had met its objective of restoring the confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe as a whole, and Western Europe was well on the way to a bright future.

这笔投资为西欧的重工业奠定了基础，为无数人提供了就业岗位，稳定了其经济体系和政治体系，将参与马歇尔计划的国家的GNP提升了15%-25%。截至1951年，该计划已有目共睹地实现了这样一个目标：恢复欧洲民众对本国和整个欧洲未来经济发展的信心，让西欧在奔向光明未来的路上大步前进。

The Marshall Plan not only helped Europe recover and spurred rapid economic growth; it laid the foundation for the long-term peace and prosperity that both the United States and Europe have enjoyed for nearly three-quarters of a century, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

马歇尔计划不仅助力欧洲恢复经济并促进欧洲的经济快速发展；它还奠定了长期和平繁荣的基础，而和平与繁荣是美国和欧洲近75年来的标签，美国国务卿蒂勒森如是说道。

Perhaps more importantly, the Marshall Plan laid the foundation for the transatlantic bond and partnership 9 that has helped Europe remain whole, free, at peace, and prosperous. Today, as we face new threats to our security, unity 10, and prosperity, the Marshall Plan reminds us of what is possible when the United States and Europe work together.

或许更为重要的是，马歇尔计划为跨太平洋的纽带与合作打下了基础，这种纽带与合作助力欧洲始终保持着其完整性，并始终处于自由、和平与繁荣的状态。今天的我们面临着安全、团结与繁荣方面的新威胁，马歇尔计划提醒我们美国与欧洲的联手可以实现什么。