VOA标准英语10月-EC Chief Presses for Quick Action on US Financial

The head of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso has called for swift action by U.S. lawmakers on a massive government rescue plan for failing financial institutions and he urged a global response to the financial crisis that has spread from Wall Street around the world. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.
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European Commission President José Manuel Barroso speaking in Brussels, 01 Oct 2008

Speaking in Brussels, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso said it is critically important the United States take the lead.

"The U.S. must take responsibility," said Barroso. "I trust that the United States will show the statesmanship that is now required for their sake and all our sakes."

But Barroso said a global response to the crisis is needed.

European central banks have poured billions of dollars into the banking¹ systems to provide liquidity² at a time when banks distrust each other and are unwilling³ to lend from one bank to the next.

But Barroso said liquidity alone is not enough.

"… we also need to inject credibility in the European response and that is why we are asking and urging member states for closer cooperation," he said. "

His comments are the latest of many from political and financial leaders calling for urgent action to stem the crisis.

In Washington, U.S. lawmakers have been wrestling with a major government rescue package for the finance industry.

Talk to many average Britons on the streets of London and they are likely to say the whole financial problem is of America's making. The first ripples⁴ of the crisis did come from the United States - beginning with the sub-prime mortgage collapse last year and then the more recent collapse of major Wall Street institutions and banks.

But, British economist⁶ Margaret Bray⁷ of the London School of Economics says it is a global issue.

"It is not entirely⁸ of America's making," she said. "These things have been happening in financial centers all around the world, and indeed the big financial institutions are present in every major financial center - in London and Frankfurt and Tokyo and Hong Kong as much as in New York and the world is a very, very interconnected place."

American businesswoman Lisa Montgomery is an education consultant⁹ in London who advises families who want to send their children to colleges in the United States. She says the financial crunch¹⁰ is a major topic of concern among her clients, who come from around the globe.

"I think everyone is incredibly unnerved, almost paralyzed - 'What should I do? Do I stay in the markets? Do I pull out the markets? Do I buy the new car I was thinking about buying? How do I adjust my own behavior today?' - in response to a financial situation, which is so enormous that it is difficult to comprehend and so complex that perhaps only a very small set of people really understand the minutia¹¹ and that is what scares people," she said.

The wider public, particularly in the United States, is also angry at what many see as the high rollers on Wall Street who have amassed¹² fortunes in the market while acting¹³ irresponsibly. And much of the public seems opposed to massive government intervention¹⁴ widely seen as helping¹⁵ the bankers and brokers¹⁶ on Wall Street with money from the wage earners on Main Street.

Lisa Montgomery says such feelings are not quite correct.

"Everyone who plays the markets in any way participates in Wall Street," she said. "Money comes in from all over the globe and people have decided¹⁷ to put their money in the markets in hopes of outstanding returns and Wall Street has been delivering outstanding returns for quite some time."

Over the years a growing number of middle class wage earners have participated in the market - including investing money for pension funds and for sending the kids to college.

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

3 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

4 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 bray   

n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫

参考例句：

• She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
• The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

10 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

11 minutia   

n.微枝末节，细节

参考例句：

• They are take great pains for the every minutia.他们为每个细节煞费苦心。
• Much of his early work is concerned with the minutiae of rural life.他早期的许多作品关注的是农村生活中一些鸡毛蒜皮的琐事。

12 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。