英伦广角 Issue 141 布朗拟新增10万个就业岗位

You now don’t want to start the year with a bang, and Gordon Brown’s big idea suddenly grabs the attention, creating new jobs at the time when many are losing theirs, or this is the beginning of what looks like being one of the toughest periods in modern British history.

The Prime Minister told the Observer, “I want to show how we will be able to through public investments and public works, create probably 1,100 additional jobs. Schools, hospitals, environment work infrastructure¹, transport, we are not going to stand by, and allow nothing to be done when people are facing difficulties.

Soon new public money will be used to fund public works, providing as many as 30,000 jobs repairing schools, helping² hearted construction firms. There will be further investments in the environmental and digital industries. Mr. Brown believes the world economy will double over the next 20 years, and Briton needs to take the advantage. And further measures are promised to get banks' lending once more.

Suddenly the creation of jobs through public works has a familiar feel to what was expressed in Roosevelt’s New Deal in the thirties, was designed to lift America out of the economic doldrums, but many studios feel that that plan in fact prolonged the great Depression, and with plenty of people who say that Gordon Brown’s plan will have little or no effect.

Unemployment currently stands at an alarming 1.9 million, the highest as it has been since 1997. Experts see it could be as high as 3.1 million in 2 years' time. In those circumstances, a 1.100 extra jobs looks like to drop in the ocean.

I frankly³ think that makes-work scheme of this kind simply don’t work in the modern age, and I thing Gordon Brown is simply desperate to make sure that the figure of 3 million is not reached.

Plus plan’s goal, it is a cautiously ambitious one, but New Year's resolutions are notorious difficult to stick to.

Niall Paterson, Sky News, Westminster.
 

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。