European Central Bank Pledges Euro Support

 The European Central Bank said it will do whatever is necessary to preserve the euro.

Bank president Mario Draghi told a London investment conference Thursday that Europe's key financial institution is "ready to do whatever it takes" to protect the currency, adding, "And believe me it will be enough."

His comments suggest the bank could buy Spanish and Italian bonds in the coming days, rather than letting the two countries deal with the uncertainties¹ of the world's financial markets as they market their debt.

For days, Spain's borrowing costs had risen sharply on fears that it, like Greece, Ireland and Portugal, could need an international bailout. But after Draghi voiced his support for the euro, the interest rate on Madrid's and Rome's bonds fell, European and U.S. stock markets surged and the value of the euro edged higher.

Meanwhile, a Greek finance official said the Athens government has finalized² a plan to cut $14 billion from its budget in the next two years, to meet the demands of its international lenders. The budget-cutting could lead to release of a portion of Greece's latest bailout, its second in two years.

The budget agreement came as Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras met with a team of auditors³ from the European Union, the International Monetary⁴ Fund and the central bank to review the country's progress in meeting its austerity requirements.

1 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

2 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。