在线英语听力室_免费在线英语听力学习网站

美债务危机让全球不安

While official Washington remains¹ preoccupied² with a government shutdown, many experts are more concerned about another looming³ crisis. The U.S. Treasury⁴ Department says the government will run out of money to pay its bills by October 17 unless President Barack Obama and Congress agree to allow the government borrow more money. The impact would be felt by borrowers, lenders and investors⁵ around the world.

美国政府关门继续让华盛顿政界陷于困境，不过很多专家更担心的是另一个迫在眉睫的危机。美国财政部说，除非奥巴马总统和国会达成协议，让政府继续借钱，否则10月17号政府就没有钱付账了，这将影响到全世界的借款人、贷款人和投资者。

Five years ago, at the start of the Great Recession, investors raced to sell off their stocks, causing share prices to dive.

5年前经济衰退刚开始时，投资者迫不及待地抛售股票，造成股价大跌。

Today, retirees and investors like Paxton Baker⁶ are hoping to avoid another hit if the government defaults on its obligations. “I mean, I am a federal retiree. I depend on the government for my monthly annuity⁷, and if they do not do that, I am probably not going to get paid next month,” he said.

今天，像帕克斯顿?贝克这样的退休人员和投资者都希望，能避免因为政府不能履行责任而再次受到打击。贝克说：“我是一个退休的联邦政府雇员，我依赖政府每月发放的退休金，如果他们发不出钱，那我下个月可能就拿不到钱了。

Baker belongs to an investment club. He and his colleagues plan to withstand uncertainty⁸ by investing in stocks for the long term.

贝克属于一个投资俱乐部，他和同伴们打算，为了应对局势不稳，在股市做长期投资，

“Certainly, there would be an impact on investments, but I think we feel overall that stocks will continue to be a good place to put your money,” said Baker.

贝克说：“当然，这对投资有影响，可是我想，我们觉得总体来看，股市仍然是投资的好地方。

Sheila Cheek is an advisor⁹ with Edward Jones Investments. She is telling her clients to look at the long term.

希拉?奇克是爱德华?琼斯投资公司的顾问，她告诉客户要有长远眼光。

“It may take time or it could be a quick recourse. But once again, keeping the long-range investment goals in mind will help you to smooth over a lot of the short-term volatilities,” she said.

奇克说：“股市下跌也许要持续一段时间，也许很快就恢复，可是要记住，把长远投资作为目标，有助于你顺利度过短期动荡。”

A Treasury Department report says a default could freeze credit markets, devalue the dollar, send interest rates higher and possibly cause another recession.

财政部的一份报告说，美国债务违约可能导致信贷市场冻结，使美元贬值，利率上升，可能再次造成经济衰退。

That would drive international investors away from the U.S., according to economist¹⁰ Stan Collender. “All they know is, this solid rock of an economy, solid rock of a political system, seems to be shaking. And that has got to drop your confidence. It means that, if they are counting on the money to be repaid at the right time also, they may just say, ‘You know what, it is not worth the risk,’” said Collender.

经济学家斯坦?科兰德说，这样会把国际投资者从美国赶走。科兰德说：“他们只知道，经济的坚石、政治体系的坚石，似乎在动摇，这一定会损害你的信心。也就是说，如果他们必须很快得到资金回报，他们可能就会说，‘算了，不值得冒这个风险。’”

To avoid a calamity¹¹, Congress needs to agree to raise the nation's debt ceiling. House Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans are demanding concessions¹² from Democrats¹³ on spending and health care first.

为了避免这个危机，国会必须同意提高债务上限。众议院议长贝纳和其他共和党人要求民主党人首先在开支和医改问题上让步。

"I do not believe that we should default on our debt. It is not good for our country. But after 55 years of spending more than what you bring in, something ought to be addressed," said Boehner.

贝纳说：“我不认为我们应该债务违约，这对我们国家不利，可是55年来我们的开支一直大于收入，那就一定要处理这个问题。”

Obama says he will not even discuss it. "There will be no negotiations¹⁴ over this. The American people are not pawns¹⁵ in some political game.

奥巴马总统说，没有谈判可言。奥巴马说：“在这个问题上没有谈判可言，不能把美国人民作为政治游戏的抵押。”

The damage from a default could last a long time, said Joseph Minarik at the Committee for Economic Development. "In all likelihood, that will affect the esteem¹⁶ with which lenders perceive the U.S. Treasury for a very long period of time. Trust, once it is lost, is very hard to regain¹⁷.

经济发展委员会的约瑟夫?米纳里克说，债务违约的危害可能会持续很长时间，米纳里克说：“这非常可能在很长时间里影响各国领导人对美国财政的信心，信任一旦失去，恢复起来就很难。”

Minarik and others are urging the nation's leaders to avert¹⁸ a crisis. "Don't do this," he said.

米纳里克等专家敦促美国领导人避免危机。米纳里克说：“不要这样做。”

Meanwhile, Baker and his fellow investors are working to protect their assets in case the government fails them.

与此同时，贝克和他的投资伙伴们正在保护他们的资产，以防政府让他们失望。