VOA常速英语2007-Argentines Stress Economic Concerns Ahead of Nat

By Michael Bowman
Buenos Aires, Argentina
26 October 2007

Voters in Argentina are preparing to elect a new president, along with legislators and provincial¹ governors. For many voters, economic matters top their list of concerns. In years past, Argentina has endured catastrophic bouts² of quadruple-digit inflation. Recent price spikes³ have put the government on the defensive⁴, including President Nestor Kirchner's hand-picked successor - his wife, First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

Along the picturesque⁵ "caminito" or "little street" in La Boca, a Buenos Aires neighborhood where the tango is said to have originated, dancers perform for a steady stream of camera-snapping foreigners. Tourism has emerged as Argentina's number-one industry as part of a resurgence⁶ following the economic meltdown of 2001 that brought a sharp currency devaluation and a default on international loans.

Argentina's economy has averaged robust⁷ economic growth rates of eight percent over the last four years. It is an achievement that has fueled the presidential campaign of First Lady and Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who aims to become Argentina's first female president.

But economic statistics do not impress Buenos Aires retiree Adriana Nunez. She says poverty remains⁸ a chronic⁹ problem.

Nunez says the misery¹⁰ in this country must end. "There is no work. People cannot survive," she says. "Every day things get worse."

Not everyone is so pessimistic. Accountant Marcelo Mora says economic progress achieved under President Kirchner outweighs¹¹ any shortcomings.

"Despite the government's mistakes, we are far better off then we were four or five years ago during the crisis," Mora says. "So people are willing to forgive the mistakes."

Pre-election polls give Cristina Fernandez a commanding lead of nearly 30 points over her nearest rival in a field of more than a dozen presidential contenders. During the campaign, Fernandez has highlighted her husband's economic record, and promised to convert those gains into real benefits for all Argentines.

If polls are to be believed, the message seems to be working. Yet clouds have begun to appear on the horizon, most recently in the form of sharp price increases for basic foods like tomatoes.

"Day by day, if we go to the supermarket, we do not get as much [for our money] as we did four years ago or even two years ago," notes Buenos Aires tour guide Claudia Solis. "There is inflation, but the government does not acknowledge it. And that is the fear we have to deal with when deciding who to vote for."

Official Argentine statistics put inflation at just under 10 percent, but many economists¹² say the actual inflation rate is closer to 20 percent.

Claudia Solis says she does not trust the president - or his wife.

 "She [Cristina Fernandez] never reveals what she plans to do in office," Solis says. "She does not say how she would control inflation. So we do not know how she would govern."

Solis says she intends to vote for opposition¹³ candidate Roberto Lavagna. Until 2005, Lavagna served as President Kirchner's economy minister and describes himself as the true architect of Argentina's economic recovery.

Argentine political and economic analyst¹⁴ Rosendo Fraga says it is no surprise that Argentines stress pocketbook issues at election time.

Fraga says, over the last 70 years, Argentina has experienced an economic crisis, on average, every five years. It is something, he says, people do not forget.

Fraga says so many Argentines worry what will happen in the future. He says the re-emergence of inflation has brought back bad memories of the past. He says the concern is that another crisis could strike during Cristina Fernandez' term in office and derail the current rapid economic expansion.

Even so, Fernandez remains the clear favorite to win Sunday's presidential contest. To avoid a run-off, she would need to secure 45 percent of the vote, or get 40 percent with a 10 point lead over the second place finisher. Recent polls show Fernandez exceeding the 40 percent threshold - with her nearest rival polling at less than 20 percent.

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

6 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

10 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

11 outweighs   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的第三人称单数 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Her need to save money outweighs her desire to spend it on fun. 她省钱的需要比她花钱娱乐的愿望更重要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Its clarity in algebraic and analytical operations far outweighs any drawbacks. 文化代数和解析运算中的清晰性远远胜过任何缺点。 来自辞典例句

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。