VOA标准英语2009年-Ahmadinejad Blames Economic Woes on West at Teh

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke¹ Wednesday at the opening of the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Tehran that brings together 10 regional countries.
　
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file photo)

President Ahmadinejad blamed the West for the global economic meltdown, declaring that capitalism² has failed and that the capitalist system was close to collapse³.

"After the collapse of the closed socialist⁴ economy," he said, "the capitalist economy is also on the brink⁵ of disintegration⁶, and despite all the efforts taken to save capitalism, the situation is hopeless. It is clear that the same principles which have triggered the collapse cannot be used to reverse it."

Mr. Ahmadinejad noted⁸ that capitalist organizations across the world have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the market to save major corporations and banks but they have not yet admitted that capitalism has failed.

During Wednesday's summit, Mr. Ahmadinejad also called for greater regional economic integration⁷ and urged member states to begin discussing the establishment of a single currency and a bank that would promote trade. Iran's closest neighbors and key trading partners, include Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, who is up for re-election in June, has repeatedly lashed¹⁰ out at the West for the current financial crisis. But he has been under fire at home for Iran's economic woes¹¹.

Iran has inflation in the mid-20 percent range and chronic¹² unemployment, which stands at about 30 percent by unofficial estimates.

Iran expert Ali Nourizadeh pointed¹³ out that Iran itself has practiced free-market capitalism since the Iranian Revolution, and that Mr. Ahmadinejad has completely mismanaged the Iranian economy.

"Mismanagement of the economy is Mr. Ahmadinejad's number one crime, as is mentioned not only by his critics but also by his followers¹⁴ and supporters in all political quarters. Mr. Ahmadinejad is the luckiest president or the luckiest politician since the creation of the Islamic Republic, and has had $300 billion in his hand in the past three-and-a-half years with the price of oil jumping to $140 per barrel," Nourizadeh said.
　
Afghan President Karzai, Turkey's President Gul, and Pakistan President Zardari, from left, attend ECO summit in Tehran, 11 Mar⁹ 2009

"Therefore, Mr. Ahmadinejad has to come and answer to the Iranian parliament and to the people what he had done with the money. The parliament has found out that there is $1 billion missing from the previous budget and there is also $800 million which they received from selling Iranian gas and this money had not been recorded by the Central Bank," he added.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai also addressed the ECO summit, asking members to help his country fight the opium¹⁵ trade, confessing that he had to "accept the bitter truth that his country is the center of opium production."

International observers are expecting Mr. Karzai to urge his Iranian counterparts to attend a March 31 conference on Afghanistan, which will focus on restoring stability to the war-torn nation.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

3 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。

4 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

5 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

6 disintegration   

n.分散，解体

参考例句：

• This defeat led to the disintegration of the empire.这次战败道致了帝国的瓦解。
• The incident has hastened the disintegration of the club.这一事件加速了该俱乐部的解体。

7 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

8 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。

9 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

10 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

12 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。

13 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

14 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

15 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。