VOA常速英语2013--2013年欧洲的经济好转,但仍面临着巨大的挑战

 

Europe’s Economy Improves in 2013, but Challenges Remain 2013年欧洲的经济好转,但仍面临着巨大的挑战

LONDON — It was a better year for the economy in Europe, an important buyer of exports from around the world.  But, the crisis that has gripped the continent since  2008 is not over yet.

According to the statistics, Europe's economic crisis is stubbornly lingering into a sixth year.  But you wouldn't know it on London’s Oxford¹ Street, the week before  Christmas.

根据统计数字，欧洲的经济危机已经持续到第六个年头了。但在圣诞节的前一周，在伦敦的牛津大街上是看不到这一点的。

“I definitely feel that this year, in comparison to the last two to three years, I think the mood is that people can treat themselves and their family a bit better,”  said Robert, a communications specialist.

罗伯特是一位通讯专家，“与过去两三年相比，我确实感到人们今年的情绪，他们能给自己和家人提供更好的生活。”

“I think this year has been really good," said software saleswoman, Sandra.  "Also I think London is a bit of a bubble.  Things are really good in London, whereas if  you go outside into other cities in Europe it may not be exactly the same case.”

软件女销售人员桑德拉说，“我觉得今年确实不错，伦敦有一点泡沫，一切都还不错，如果去欧洲的其他城市，可能情况就不是这样了。”

She’s right.  Britain’s economy is among the strongest in Europe, and even here retailers² introduced discounts well before Christmas.  In several countries that use  the euro, the economic downturn is much more noticeable, according to Capital Economics analyst³ Ben May.

她说得对，英国经济在欧洲是最强的，这里的零售商在圣诞节前就开始打折了。凯投宏观分析家本·梅说，在使用欧元的几个国家里，经济下滑情况更加明显。

“Debt is still very high, as is unemployment," he said. "There’s a need for further austerity in some of these countries, and there’s a growing unwillingness⁴  amongst the population to accept that.”

“债务和失业率都很高，有的国家需要进一步实施紧缩政策，人们越来越不情愿接受这个。”

That “unwillingness” has been reflected in protests, like this one in Greece, and at the ballot⁵ box, where voters in some countries have elected anti-austerity  governments.  Austerity is controversial even among economists⁶ because it hurts growth.  And Ben May says Europe's growth will continue to be weak in 2014, during what  he calls a “grinding” and “fragile” recovery.

这种“不情愿”反映在抗议活动中，就像希腊的这次投票，有的国家的选民选出了反紧缩政策的政府。紧缩政策损害经济，因此即使在经济学家中也是有争议的。本·梅说2014年欧洲的发展 会继续惨淡，处于他所谓的“痛苦”而又“脆弱”的恢复期。

“The situation has improved in the eurozone, but I think there are still a lot of problems, and there’s plenty of scope for the region to lurch⁷ back into crisis,”  he said.

“欧元区有所改善，但我认为还存在很多问题，还存在很多使该地区再次回到危机的问题。”

Still, even beyond the relatively⁸ strong economies of Britain and Germany, there is reason for hope.  Professor Iain Begg of the London School of Economics says one  positive sign is that talk of the euro system collapsing⁹ has all but ended.

尽管英国和德国经济相对较强，但还是有理由心存希望的。伦敦经济学院的Iain Begg教授说一个积极的迹象就是对欧元体系崩溃的谈论已经差不多结束。

“I’d say it was a year that European leaders will look back on with, if not affection, at least some satisfaction that things have improved," he said. "It doesn’t  yet filter through into the sentiment on the street because incomes are stagnating¹⁰, unemployment is still high.”

“我敢说在这一年中，即使欧洲领导人们不是怀着喜欢的心情回顾的，也会对情况好转感到满足的。但这种情绪并未渗透到大街上，因为收入还在停滞状态，失业率仍很高。”

That was clear on Oxford Street, where many people said they were worried about the future, even as they spent money on Christmas presents.

这一点在牛津大街上表现很明显，即使很多人会花钱买圣诞礼物，但还是说担心未来。

“I won't do like crazy spending," said one man. "I’ll buy stuff for my kids, for my woman, and for my family as well, just a little present to say ‘Merry Christmas. ’  But I’m not doing like crazy.”

“我不喜欢做疯狂的事，我会给孩子、妻子和家人买东西，买一点小礼物来表达圣诞快乐，但我不会太疯狂。”

That seems to reflect the views of many Europeans, as the continent emerges from five years of crisis to promises of prosperity many people have not yet seen, and are  not convinced will come. 

这似乎反映了许多欧洲人的看法，尽管欧洲从5年的危机中走出，很多人仍未看到繁荣的希望，也不相信繁荣会到来。

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

3 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。

4 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

5 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

6 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》

7 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

10 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句