VOA慢速英语2012 Economics Report - Pressure in Europe Builds for Banking Reform

 

Economics Report - Pressure in Europe Builds for Banking¹ Reform

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Pressure for financial reform is building in Europe. This week the financial services company Moody’s Investors² Service reduced Spain’s credit rating. The rating was cut from A3 to baa3. That means that Moody’s judges the credit risk of Spanish debt has moved from very low to moderate. 

The company said it acted because Spain is borrowing about one hundred twenty-five billion dollars in rescue loans for its banks. 

Debt markets punished Spain by pushing up the interest rate on its long-term debt to about six point eight percent. That increases Spain’s borrowing costs and hurts its already troubled economy. Spain was not the only country to get downgraded by Moody’s. Cyprus got the same treatment.

On Wednesday, American Treasury³ Secretary Tim Geithner spoke⁴ at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. He said the increase in borrowing costs for European countries like Spain means European officials must move quickly to avoid growing costs. 

TIM GEITHNER: “If you wait to move in these things and you let the market get ahead of you, then you increase the costs of the solution and you make it harder to get there--you get too much momentum—it’s very costly⁵. Once you decide, there’s no argument for doing it slowly.” 

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has been pushing for economic reform in the seventeen countries using the euro. But German Chancellor⁶ Angela Merkel has argued that her country is unwilling⁷ to put money at risk unless banking reform is enacted⁸ throughout the Eurozone. She warned this week that Germany’s economic power was not unlimited⁹.

Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed steps toward a common banking policy. The proposals include empowering nations to intervene when their banks are in trouble. But proposed changes may also bar support for failing banks. 

Some European leaders are pressing for an expanded European bailout fund. Germany has resisted providing new financial resources. But details of any deal with big European economies have yet to be decided¹⁰. 

Europe’s financial crisis is likely to be the main issue at the G-20 economic meeting in Mexico next week. Secretary Geithner is looking forward to the conference.

TIMOTHY GEITHNER: “you know, the world is waiting for them, they have a -- they have a big incentive¹¹ to add as much clarity to those plans as early as they can.”

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. For transcripts¹², MP3s and now PDFs of our programs for e-readers, go to www.voanews.cn. And follow us on Facebook and iTunes at VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 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。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

12 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句