VOA标准英语2008年-African Growth Threatened by Higher Food, Fuel
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年（五月）
Washington
22 May 2008
Economists 2 specializing in Africa say the continent's five-year run of record economic growth is threatened by sharply rising fuel and food prices. VOA's Barry Wood reports on a Capitol Hill forum 3 Thursday sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Peter Lewis, the director of African studies at Johns Hopkins University, said food and fuel price increases have been devastating 4, threatening to erode 5 five years of impressive economic gains.
"The scale and scope and speed of the accelerated price hikes have really been quite stunning," he said.
Peter Ondiege, a research economist 1 at the African Development Bank, said continuing growth in 2008 is being negatively influenced by price increases.
"It had been assumed that oil prices would stabilize 6 at around $90 a barrel," he said. "And [now] we are seeing it approaching $135 to $140 a barrel. So this is a big threat to the African economies, especially those that are importing oil."
Global food prices nearly doubled over the past year while oil costs four times as much as it did in 2003. African economies have registered growth for five consecutive 7 years, expanding five point seven percent last year.
Ondiege says he worries that higher food and fuel prices could prompt some governments to roll back market-based reforms.
"They might attempt to provide subsidies," he added. "They might try to over-borrow to cushion the poor."
The International Monetary 8 Fund last month forecast that sub-Saharan Africa would register growth of 6.6 percent in 2008. The extent to which that forecast is being scaled back is not yet known.
- 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。
- 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》
- They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
- The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。
- It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
- Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
- Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
- Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。
- They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
- His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。
- It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
- The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。