VOA双语新闻:1、西班牙危机加深 欧洲质疑紧缩政策
时间:2018-12-19 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2012年5月
西班牙危机加深 欧洲质疑紧缩政策
Spain's economic crisis has deepened as unemployment has reached a record high and its credit rating is downgraded. It comes as fears grow across the continent that the worst of the euro crisis may not be over - and a growing belief that the German-led prescription 1 of harsh austerity may not be working.
西班牙的经济危机加深,失业率创下新高,信用评级遭到下调。与此同时,人们日益担心欧元区危机最糟糕的时刻可能还没有结束,并且担心德国领头的严厉紧缩措施可能不起作用。
Protest marches have become a common sight in Spain - but this was one of the most colorful.
Wearing masks and exotic costumes, prostitutes demonstrated in Barcelona Friday against the city's plans to outlaw 2 street prostitution.
戴着面罩和穿着奇装异服的妓女星期五在巴塞罗那游行,抗议该市计划将街头娼妓列为非法。
The spokesperson for the group, who calls herself Montse, says because of the economic crisis they can't get any other job.
自称名为蒙特塞的妓女团体的发言人说,因为经济危机,她们找不到其它工作。
"There are no real alternatives to earn a living," said Montse. "Jobs need to offer enough money to support a family."
蒙特塞说:“真的找不到其它能够谋生的工作。就业岗位需要支付足够的工资以支撑一家人的生计。”
Spain's unemployment has hit a record high of 5.6 million, or nearly a quarter of the potential workforce 3. The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt Thursday and the country has fallen back in recession.
西班牙的失业人数已达到创记录的560万人,相当于潜在劳动力人口的近四分之一。信用评级机构标准普尔星期四下调了西班牙的主权信用评级,该国经济已经再度陷入衰退。
Tobias Blattner is chief European economist 4 at Daiwa Capital Markets.
大和资本市场公司的欧洲首席经济学家托比亚斯?布拉特纳说:
"At the same time we have this very austere 5 budget, actually the most austere budget since the 1970s in Spain," said Blattner. "And that obviously leads to a lot of concerns in the markets about the growth prospects 6 of Spain."
“在这同时,我们还实行非常紧缩的预算,实际上这是自1970年代以来西班牙最严厉的预算紧缩。这显然导致很多市场参与者对西班牙的增长前景感到担忧。”
Austerity versus 7 growth: the debate now at the heart of Europe's crisis is whether countries can cut ((eliminate workers and programs)) their way to back to economic health.
财政紧缩与经济增长,这是目前欧洲经济危机引发人们争论的一个关键问题,也就是说一国是否能够以削减雇员和项目的方法来使经济恢复健康。
Like Spain, Italy has seen its borrowing costs rise in recent days.
最近几天西班牙和意大利等国的借款成本已经升高。
After the economic crisis hastened the fall of Silvio Berlusconi last November, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti shepherded through a harsh austerity program. At a European Business Summit Thursday, Mr. Monti said it was time to re-focus on growth.
在意大利经济危机加速前总理贝卢斯科尼于去年11月下台之后,现任总理蒙蒂领导通过了一项严厉的紧缩计划。蒙蒂星期四在欧洲商业峰会上表示,现在是重新专注于经济增长的时候了。
"Structural 8 reforms per se will never deliver growth because if a country becomes more productive and more competitive but there is no demand for its products domestically or around it growth will not materialize," said Monti.
蒙蒂说:“结构性改革本身从不会带来增长,因为如果一国的生产率和竞争力提高,但是国内外没有对其产品的需求,因此就不会实现增长。”
Analysts 9 say debt-laden governments like Italy face a delicate balance; convincing the markets they are solvent 10 while also trying to invest to grow their economies.
分析人士说,意大利等债务缠身的政府面临微妙的平衡,一方面要让市场相信他们有偿付能力,另一方面也要设法投资以促进经济增长。
Even Britain, with a top credit rating and access to cheap borrowing, has just slipped back into recession.
就连英国这个拥有最高信用评级和能够以低成本借款的国家,也刚刚重新滑入衰退。
Again, Tobias Blattner of Daiwa Capital Markets:
大和资本市场公司的托比亚斯?布拉特纳说:
"It just shows again I think that too much austerity which is obviously the preferred policy of the UK government is maybe not the right approach to tackle the situation right now," he said.
“我认为,这再次表明,英国政府明显偏向过度紧缩的策略可能不是应对目前状况的正确方法。”
After a few months of respite 11, analysts say that Europe is once again in danger of plunging 12 back into an economic storm.
经过数个月后,分析人士现在指出,欧洲可能重新陷入经济风暴。
- The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
- The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。
- The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
- The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。
- A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
- A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。
- 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。
- His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
- The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。
- There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
- They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
- The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
- The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。
- The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
- The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
- Gasoline is a solvent liquid which removes grease spots.汽油是一种能去掉油污的有溶解力的液体。
- A bankrupt company is not solvent.一个破产的公司是没有偿还债务的能力的。