May Day Rallies Draw Protesters Around World

 　　VOA News May 01, 2012 - Hundreds of thousands of workers are taking to the streets in cities around the world to mark International Workers Day with marches and calls for higher pay and better working conditions.

　　In Europe, workers filled the streets in Athens, Paris, Madrid and elsewhere, where protests were fueled by growing anger at the austerity measures governments have imposed to cut their budget deficits¹. In Madrid, thousands demonstrated against the highest jobless rate in the 17-nation euro currency union and labor² reforms that make it easier to fire workers.

　　One Greek union president, Kostas Tsikrikas, said the push for austerity has severely³ hurt workers.

　　"The problems we face today are as big as they have been in the past. Unfortunately, the harsh austerity policies that are imposed in our country by [international lenders] are policies that take us back by a century. They cancel rights that have been attained⁴ with the workers' struggles and sacrifices," said Tsikrikas.

　　In Russia, President-elect Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joined tens of thousands in a march through Moscow. Marchers held huge banners supporting their labor unions and factories.

　　One pensioner⁵ in Russia, Anna Maltseva, said May Day was a celebration of the solidarity⁶ of workers throughout the world.

　　"I would like this day not just to be a labor holiday every year, celebrating May and freedom, but an international day of solidarity among working people, when we all support each other widely, at least on this day," she said.

　　In Asia, thousands gathered in Taiwan and the capital cities of Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia to mark May Day with rallies organized by trade unions. The demonstrators called for higher wages to help them with rising consumer prices and voiced other complaints.

　　In Taiwan, one 30-year-old nurse, Li Hua-Cheng, deplored⁷ her working conditions in a hospital.

　　"We have been oppressed by the hospitals for a long time, and it has been hard especially when one person has to handle three people's jobs until we eventually develop health problems. This is very inhumane. Moreover, if we have health problems, then we can't provide good care to the patients, and if something happens to the patients, we could make mistakes because of fatigue," she said.

　　In New York, the May Day protests appeared to be substantially smaller than elsewhere around the globe. Some demonstrators picketed⁸ in front of major corporate⁹ headquarters. On the country's West Coast, protesters disrupted ferry service in San Francisco.

1 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

5 pensioner   

n.领养老金的人

参考例句：

• The tax threshold for a single pensioner is$ 445.单身领退休年金者的纳税起点为445英镑。
• It was the pensioner's vote late in the day that influenced the election of Mr.Sweet.最后是领取养老金者的选票影响了斯威特先生的当选。

6 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

7 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

8 picketed   

用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They picketed the restaurant. 他们在饭馆外设置纠察。
• Humboldt riotously picketed Von Trenk but the play was a hit. 尽管洪堡肆意破坏《冯·特伦克》的上演，然而这个剧还是轰动一时。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。