1、对应音频:1231a.mp3听力内容:2010 Marked by Debt Problems in Europe and Growth in the Developing WorldThis is the VOA Special English Economics Report.Here are some of the top economic stories of two thousand ten. The world continued to struggle with a slow recovery from the financial crisis two years earlier
2、. Greece admitted to bigger-than-expected budget deficits. Investors punished Greece with much higher borrowing costs. The sixteen countries that use the euro joined the International Monetary Fund in offering loans of about one hundred forty billion dollars in May.But, Greece had to agree to deeply
3、 cut government spending. Some demonstrations against the measures turned violent.And debt problems extended beyond Greece. Ireland asked euro-area members and the IMF for help last month. Its rescue was even bigger, considering the size of the Irish economy.Euro-area nations have set up a bailout f
4、und of about one trillion dollars. But the IMF worries that may not be enough. Portugal, Spain and Italy could soon require emergency loans. And the euro has declined, making imports more costly for the areas struggling economies.Chinas exports of important industrial metals also made news this year
5、. China temporarily cut off rare earth metals meant for Japan after a territorial dispute in September. China controls nearly all of the rare earth metals market. These metals are used in everything from smart bombs to batteries. China recently announced lower export limits for rare earths for next
6、year.In the United States, the central bank took steps to speed recovery. The Federal Reserve announced a plan to add six hundred billion dollars to the economy. The goal is to keep long-term interest rates low and make investment-and hiring-easier. Unemployment remained above nine percent all year.
7、On Wall Street, a sudden drop in a big stock index shocked investors on May sixth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about nine percent in less than an hour before mostly recovering. A five-month federal investigation of the so-called flash crash suggested a single big trade may have been the
8、 cause.Rich nations continued to hurt economically this year. But World Bank economist Hans Timmer says not all countries are reporting problems.HANS TIMMER: By far the most, the biggest story is the very strong performance of the emerging economies.The so-called BRIC nations, Brazil, Russia, India
9、and China, are expected to report notable economic growth this year.And thats the VOA Special English Economics Report written by Mario Ritter. Happy New Year, everyone. Im Steve Ember.这里是VOA特别英语经济报道。以下是2010年比较重要的经济事件。全世界仍然苦苦挣扎着从两年前的金融危机中缓慢地复苏。希腊陷入了超出预期的财政赤字。希腊受到投资者的惩罚,借贷成本增加。欧元区十六个国家加入国际货币基金组织的行列,五
10、月份提供了大约1400亿美元的贷款。但是,希腊必须同意大幅削减政府支出。反对紧缩措施的一些抗议演变为暴力活动。债务问题扩展到希腊意外。上月,爱尔兰也要求欧元区成员国和IMF提供救助。考虑到爱尔兰经济的规模,这次救援规模更大。欧元区国家成立了大约1兆美元的救援基金。但是IMF担忧这并不够。葡萄牙,西班牙和意大利很快也会请求提供紧急贷款。随着欧元贬值,这些即将陷入困境的国家进口货物成本更高。中国对重要的工业金属的出口也成为今年的新闻。九月份,由于领土争端,中国暂时中断了对美国的稀土矿供应。中国控制着几乎整个稀土矿市场。这些金属用来制造从精密炸弹到电池等许多产品。中国最近宣布降低明年的稀土矿出口限额
11、。在美国,中央银行采取措施加快经济复苏。美联储宣布向经济体中注入6000亿美元的计划,目标是保持较低的长期利率,使投资和聘用更加简单。失业率一年来一直都在9%以上。在华盛顿,5月6日大盘价格的突然下跌震惊了投资者。道琼斯工业平均指数在不到一个小时之内下跌了九个百分点,不过几乎立即恢复。对这次“闪电崩盘”为期五个月的调查显示,可能是由于单比大宗交易。发达国家今年的经济受到损害。但是世界银行经济学家Hans Timmer表示,并不是所有的国家都有问题。Hans Timmer:“目前为止,最重大,最显著的就是新兴国家的强势增长。”所谓的BRIC国家,巴西,俄罗斯,印度和中国,预期今年仍将出现显著的经
12、济增长。1.deeply adv.强烈地;深刻地例句:I am deeply sorry about the whole business.我对整个事件深表遗憾。I am deeply offended by her conduct.她的行为深深地刺痛了我的心。2.bailout n.紧急援助,企业救济3.require v.要求, 规定例句:The occasion requires formal dress.这场合要求穿礼服。He required to see my passport.他要看我的护照。4.temporarily adv.暂时地例句:The stranger’s
13、 question surprised me so that I temporarily lost my tongue.那陌生人的询问使我大吃一惊,一时之间连话都说不出来了。5.shock vt.使…震惊例句:The violence and bad language in the program shocked many of the viewers.电视节目中的暴力场面和污秽语言使许多观众震惊。6.performance n.表现, 行为, 成就例句:His performance in the exams was not very good.他考得不是很好。7.notabl
14、e adj.值得注意的;重要的, 显著的; 著名的例句:This is a notable event.这是一件重要事件。1.Greece admitted to bigger-than-expected budget deficits.admit to承认例句:The young man admitted to his part in the crime.那个年轻人承认了他自己在这次作案中的所作所为。He admitted his guilt to the police.他向警方承认有罪。2.Investors punished Greece with much higher borrowi
15、ng costs.much higher,much修饰比较级修饰比较是副词much的常见用法,“much 比较级”的意思是“更……”“……得多”。如:It’s much colder today than it was yesterday. 今天比昨天冷得多。It was much worse than I thought. 它比我想像的还要糟得多。We will be a much better football team next year. 明年我们将会成为一支更好的足球队。3.China temporarily cut off rare earth metals meant for Japan after a territorial dispute in September.cut off切隔断, 阻碍例句:Our troops cut off the enemys retreat.我们的军队切断了敌人的退路。