VOA常速英语2007年-India to Invest Billions of Dollars to Improve
时间：2019-02-04 作者：英语课 分类：VOA常速英语2007年（十二月）
New Delhi
09 December 2007
India says it needs to invest billions of dollars to improve its creaking infrastructure 1. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the building of roads and ports has failed to keep pace with the country's runaway 2 economic growth in recent years.
Indian officials say infrastructure investment must increase dramatically if the country wants to sustain growth rates of around 9 percent.
The deputy chairman of the government's Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, told an economic summit in New Delhi recently that India needs to invest $500 billion in infrastructure projects over the next 5 years.
The government says it will provide 70 percent of the money. It is asking private investors 3, domestic and foreign, to come up with the balance of about $150 billion.
A consultant 4 at the Confederation of Indian Industry, Bidisha Ganguly, says India needs everything, from high-speed expressways, to new power plants, airports and freight corridors.
"It is very, very critical, and the good news is that you now have the government recognizing that and setting policy guidelines that gears up for an increase in investment in the infrastructure sector," said Ganguly. "Without that investment you could see some kind of slowdown in growth, you could also see disparities among states increasing."
The high growth in recent years has exposed the country's antiquated 5 transport and power systems. Foreign businessmen say this often discourages them from scaling up investments in India.
Highways, used to transport most goods, account for only 2 percent of the country's roads. Average unloading and reloading time at clogged 6 ports is 85 hours, 10 times longer than in Singapore or Hong Kong. Power cuts last for hours, even in the country's prime business districts.
The Asian Development Bank calls infrastructure the most pressing problem in the economy, and says the deficiencies have eroded 7 growth already. Ganguly agrees.
"To an extent you can say it is already hurting," added Ganguly. "You may have been growing by 10 percent rather than the 8.5-9 percent that is likely this year."
For India, the challenge is not just finding the money, but moving people out of the way, in its more open and democratic society.
- We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
- We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。
- The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
- He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。
- 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
- He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
- Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。
- Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
- A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。