时间:2019-02-07 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(三月)


英语课
By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
18 March 2008

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has introduced tough measures to stabilize 1 soaring prices, including a crackdown on what he called "economic criminals," but he says the African nation's economy is essentially 2 sound. From Addis Ababa, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports opposition 3 leaders ridiculed 4 the claim of economic health in a country facing drought and a massive financial scandal.


Prime Minister Meles Tuesday declared war on what he referred to as greedy business people, blaming them for sharp price increases that boosted Ethiopia's inflation rate to 20 percent.  In a speech to parliament, he lashed 5 out at what he called "fraudsters" who recently caused a five to 10-fold increase in the price of salt in a single day.


Mr. Meles announced establishment of a task force to prosecute 6 businesses engaging in what he called "persistent 7 illegal exploitative activities."


"Such greedy and illegal business persons will only respond when each has been identified and punished," he said. "As a result, the government has decided 8 to completely change its approach toward those committing economic crimes. A task force comprising members of the Ministry 9 of Trade and Industry, the federal police and the National Security and Intelligence service has been set up to permanently 10 monitor illicit 11 activities and take prompt legal measures as necessary."


The prime minister urged all citizens to cooperate by providing information about those engaging in price gouging 12.


Mr. Meles also announced two other inflation fighting measures; an immediate 13 end to sales taxes on food grains, and sharp restrictions 14 on the growth of the money supply.


At the same time, he described Ethiopia's economy as "healthy."  He predicted the country's economic growth rate would top 10 percent for the fifth year in a row.


Opposition leaders questioned the claim of economic health. Lawmaker Temesgen Zewdie pointed 15 to recent reports that nine million Ethiopians are facing drought-induced famine. He called Mr. Meles's response "unacceptable."


Lidetu Ayelew of the Ethiopian Democratic Party called the report of 10 percent economic growth misleading because the growth does not touch millions of impoverished 16 people.


"There are people who are being left behind. So there's a problem with distribution, of reaching everyone," Lidetu said. "Therefore, the economy is not fully 17 healthy. So someone with high blood pressure cannot be seen as fully healthy. He can fall... So if this problem is not resolved, we cannot say the economy is healthy."


Prime Minister Meles shrugged 18 off the criticisms. In his rebuttal likened Ethiopia's economic condition to a common cold. But he acknowledged several setbacks, including a recent discovery that a significant portion of the country's gold reserves was fake, and the arrest of several people allegedly involved in a black market money-changing scheme.




vt.(使)稳定,使稳固,使稳定平衡;vi.稳定
  • 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。
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
n.反对,敌对
  • 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。
v.嘲笑,嘲弄,奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败,代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥
  • The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
  • The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
vt.告发;进行;vi.告发,起诉,作检察官
  • I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
  • Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据?
adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的
  • Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
  • She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤,使她很难为情。
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
n.(政府的)部;牧师
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地
  • The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
adj.非法的,禁止的,不正当的
  • He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
  • Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。
n.刨削[槽]v.凿( gouge的现在分词 );乱要价;(在…中)抠出…;挖出…
  • Banks and credit-card companies have been accused of gouging their customers. 银行和信用卡公司被指控欺诈顾客。 来自辞典例句
  • If back-gouging is applied, grinding to bright metal is required. 如果采用火焰气刨,则应将其打磨至可见光亮的金属表面。 来自互联网
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
adj.尖的,直截了当的
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化
  • the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
  • They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
学英语单词
adenomatosis-pulmonary emphysema syndrome
adirondack mts.
air worthiness
anokhin
apical periodontal abscess
arteriae circumflexa humeri posterior
ascobolus michaudii
auteurial
besset
burst range
busy hour usage
califonia
cant moulding
capsula fibrosa perivascularis
Carapa guianensis
cephalocentesis
chain armour
chlordiazepoxides
chronic fibrous thyroiditis
coercibleness
conductive-dot code
copperiness
custom builder
customer ownership
cypriferous
deal at arm's length
Dendrophthoe pentandra
Disoprivan
distensable
dowel cutter centralizing pin
electromagnetic vibration exciter
enamors
ergastoplasma
exocrine glands
fender wall
flavouring
fluorochlorinated hydrocarbon
Gatas, Mt.
geographical conditions
gift certificates
gill plume
global climate changes
growth hormone releasing factor
guidingly
gundelach
had need to do something
hair loss
high temperature softening
hit-on-the-fly system
humidifying and air conditioning equipment
hydrophobic electrode
keyword in title
law of chemical equilibrium
limit ordinal
Llanfaelog
Lucerne, Lake
mekongensis
mine smalls
multiple glaciation theory
on high alert
one-dimensional element
optical moment
output job stream
payment supra protest
peeling cut angle
Pierrefitte-sur-Aire
political liberalism
poobahs
preconcentrates
primary genital ducts
pterobryopsis gedehensis
pug-noser
pulmo-analyse
resilient gear rim
rightmost node
scarfskins
sea anemoe ulcer
shakis
ship-propulsion reactor
side planking
STD code
Sterchamol
stight
stringcourses
strong-heartedness
sudoriferous
superarenin
swivel safty cargo hook
swuzzy
system of material product balance
ten percentile
thamesides
The Knock
total lipodystrophy
Trajan
trim by stern, trimmed by the stern
ungown
Utlyuts'kyy Lyman
weather adjustment of gyro compass
wet the baby's head
Zavolzhskiy Rayon
Zhabinka