VOA标准英语2011--Italy Growth Struggles to Bridge North-South Divide

Italy Growth Struggles to Bridge North-South Divide

 

Italy is one of the most economically divided countries in Europe. The north - with cities like Milan and Turin - accounts for a large majority of the country's GDP, while the south often is viewed by outsiders as a land of siestas¹ and organized crime. Some analysts² say Italy's south, however, amounts to a vast underdeveloped resource that could pull the country out of its economic slump³.

Lasers cut the latest tire tread patterns, ready for road testing at the Pirelli factory in Milan. It is a futuristic image of Italian industry.

Pirelli has just announced strong results - nine month earnings⁴ rose by nearly 50 percent compared to 2010.

CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera is proud of the company’s 140-year heritage. He said, though, the source of the profits lies outside Italy.

“We are a global company so we have the head and the heart in Italy. Then more than 90% of our products and of our production is in the rest of the world. Europe is slowing down, that is a fact,” said Provera.

Milan is the home of Gucci, Versace, Prada and many other famous names. Luxury Italian trade group Altagamma predicts sales growth in Asia will soar by 16.5% next year alone.

The glitz belies⁵ Italy’s economic crisis.

A worker inspects a jar of pasta sauce in one of Paolo Ricciulli's factories - which employs around 220 people at his Althea-Delfino group, Italy's biggest manufacturer of ready-made pasta sauce, with revenues of 62 million euros and two plants in Parma and Acerra, near Naples in Parma, November 11, 2011.

“There are too many complexities⁶ in our bureaucracy, our justice system. All this is old-fashioned, we have to change it,” said Provera.

700 kilometers south of Milan lies Naples. GDP here in the south of Italy is just over half that of the north.

Analysts say the region has suffered from decades of underinvestment - despite the European Union’s Development Fund pumping in billions of euros.

Giampiero Gallo, economics professor at the University of Florence, said the imbalance has diverted attention.

“Somewhat the polarization between the north and the south has given the north a sort of reassurance⁷ that the fault for things not going well was lying somewhere else,” said Gallo.

Salvatore Miele runs the family business, Vincenzo Miele Transport, from Naples portside, shipping⁸ containers throughout Italy and across the world.

“Compared to the rest of Italy, bureaucracy here in the south delays everything and this is blocking growth,” he said. “The south of Italy has been ignored by politicians and the ruling elite⁹. So we move with a slower rhythm here.”

Southern Italy has a reputation for organized crime. Miele said he’s lucky not to have been affected¹⁰.

“If we give young people a future, criminality will decrease… Southern Italy’s potential is huge, we have the great resource of many young people. We need to help them get into work so they can build a future,” said Miele.

Naples and Milan: two cities and two sides of the Italian economy. Analysts say that if Italy is to return to growth and navigate¹¹ out of the debt crisis, the gulf¹² between the north and the south must be resolved.

1 siestas   

n.（气候炎热国家的）午睡，午休( siesta的名词复数 )

参考例句：

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 belies   

v.掩饰( belie的第三人称单数 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• His appearance belies him. 他的外貌给人以假象。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The modesty of their home belies their great wealth. 他们简朴的家使人们看不出他们拥有巨额财富。 来自辞典例句

6 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

7 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。