VOA慢速英语2019 维也纳再次成为世界最宜居城市

Vienna Is the Most Livable City, Again

The Austrian capital, Vienna, is known for its museums, palaces and ease¹ of living. The city of 2 million people was recently identified as having the world's highest quality of life for the tenth year in a row. That opinion comes from Mercer, a consulting agency² that does a yearly³ Quality of Living Ranking.

奥地利首都维也纳以其博物馆、宫殿和舒适的生活条件而闻名。这座拥有200万人口的城市已经连续10年被评为世界上生活质量最高的城市。这一排名来自美世咨询公司，该公司是一家每年对生活质量进行衡量的咨询公司。

Measuring quality of life is not a simple job.In a statement, Mercer said the agency looks at many factors.For example, researchers measure how easily people can use public transport, such as buses and trains.They ask whether drivers can move well on the roads.They ask if houses and apartments are available at a good price, and whether children can go to international schools.They think about whether people in the city can enjoy music, theater, restaurants and sports.And, they look for a healthy political and social climate.

衡量生活质量不是一项简单的工作。美世在一份声明中表示，该机构考虑了许多因素。例如，研究人员衡量了人们使用公共交通工具(如公共汽车和火车)的容易程度。他们还询问司机是否能在道路上行驶自如。他们询问房价和公寓是否便宜，孩子们是否能上国际学校，还考虑了城市里的人们是否能享受音乐、戏剧、餐馆和运动。而且，他们还问询了当地是否有健康的政治和社会环境。

In total, the agency considered 39 factors in 10 areas to name Vienna the winner.Vienna has also been ranked number one on other quality of life measurements⁴, such as the Economist’s Global Liveability Index⁵.

该机构总共衡量了10个领域的39个因素，确定维也纳为最大赢家。维也纳在其他生活质量指标上也排名第一，比如《经济学人》的全球宜居指数。

Other top cities on Mercer’s list included Zurich, Auckland, Munich and Vancouver.

美世榜单上前几名的城市还包括苏黎世、奥克兰、慕尼黑和温哥华。 

The 10 cities at the bottom of Mercer’s list did not change from the previous year.Baghdad ranked last, followed by Bangui in the Central African Republic and Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

美世公司榜单中垫底的10个城市与去年相比没有变化。巴格达排在最后，其次是中非共和国的班吉和也门首都萨那。

American cities did not do very well on quality of life rankings this year.

美国城市今年在生活质量方面的排名并不好。 

"All US cities covered in the analysis fell in the rankings this year, with Washington DC (53) the biggest faller," noted⁶ Mercer’s statement.

美世的声明指出：“所有参与分析的美国城市今年的排名都有所下降，其中华盛顿特区(53)的排名降幅最大”。

Words in This Story

ranking – n. a list of people or things that are ordered according to their quality, ability, size, etc.

factor – n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen

1 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

4 measurements   

n.量度( measurement的名词复数 )；测量；衡量；（量得的）尺寸

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first. 第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 index   

n.食指；索引；标志；指数；v.把...编索引

参考例句：

• Performonce is an index of ability.成绩是能力的标志。
• Manner of walking gives an index to one's charactor.走路的姿态可反应出人的性格。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。