voa标准英语2008年-New York Officials Address Budget Crisis

New York state and city officials say "painful" spending cuts are necessary to cope with a massive budget shortfall following the collapse¹ of several major banks on Wall Street. Victoria Cavaliere reports that New York's governor has asked the federal government to intervene, while leaders in New York City are pushing a plan to help residents hold on to their homes, look for jobs and manage their debt.
　

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg

The state of New York typically derives² 20 percent of its tax revenue from Wall Street, and the financial industry's high pay spurs growth in a wide range of service and retail³ industries - from restaurants, to beauty parlors⁴ and advertising⁵ agencies.

State officials are expecting job losses in the financial sector⁶ to total 45,000 this year. That is higher than after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when 30,000 jobs were lost.

State budget officials said job losses during this economic slowdown will reach 160,000.

Last week, Governor David Paterson said New York state faces a $1.5 billion shortfall in 2008, and a $47 billion budget deficit⁷ by 2012. He said there is no part of the budget that will not see cuts.

"Even cutting money to school districts within a school year, which is the last thing we want to do, health care and Medicaid, housing issues...unfortunately across the board we are going to see very drastic measures taken," Paterson said.

Paterson has asked the U.S. Congress to quickly pass an economic stimulus⁸ package that pours fiscal⁹ relief directly into New York.

Meantime, New Yorkers who have been laid off or are at risk of losing their homes have been protesting outside courthouses to ask for help. Brooklyn homeowner Gladys Guy said she was afraid of losing the home she had lived in for decades.

"I am a retiree and I just cannot afford the mortgage," she said. "And I am getting ready to go into foreclosure also."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has introduced an 18-point plan to help New Yorkers through the financial crisis. His package includes buying more than 100 foreclosed homes and transforming them into affordable¹⁰ housing, relaxing some property tax deadlines, and giving an additional $1.3 million to soup kitchens and food pantries.

"We are very dependent on Wall Street, we love it in good times and it is painful when it is not there," said Bloomberg. "It is interesting, if you go overseas, London for example and the U.K. are much more dependent on revenues from the financial services sector than New York and America is. If it is a problem anyplace in the world, it is a problem everyplace in the world in this day of internationalism."

Bloomberg this week will also announce a plan to cut city spending by 2.5 percent.

1 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。

2 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 parlors   

客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店

参考例句：

• It had been a firm specializing in funeral parlors and parking lots. 它曾经是一个专门经营殡仪馆和停车场的公司。
• I walked, my eyes focused into the endless succession of barbershops, beauty parlors, confectioneries. 我走着，眼睛注视着那看不到头的、鳞次栉比的理发店、美容院、糖果店。

5 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。