VOA标准英语2008年-Official Zimbabwe Inflation Rate Reaches 2.2 Mi

Zimbabwe's Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono says the country's official inflation rate is now 2.2 million percent. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.
　
Zimbabwean foreign currency dealers¹ conduct transaction using money stashed² in cooler box in Harare (Oct 2007 file photo)

Gideon Gono told a gathering³ in Harare that the figure is the latest released by the country's Central Statistical⁴ Office. The last official inflation rate, released in February, was 165,000 percent.

The World Food Program and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported last month that more than two million Zimbabweans will face hunger in the coming months. That figure is expected to peak at more than five million in the first quarter of next year.

WFP southern Africa spokesperson, Richard Lee, says the skyrocketing inflation will greatly impact Zimbabweans who are struggling to take care of their families and that this is particularly the case for vulnerable families.

"They are going to struggle even more to be able to stretch their scarce resources to get enough food for themselves and their families - and obviously for vulnerable poor people in urban areas, this sort of inflation is going to make it more difficult for them to fend⁵ for themselves, and could well mean that more people are going to require food assistance in the months ahead," said Lee.
　
Woman sells sweet potatoes at the side of a road in Harare, 03 Jun 2008

Zimbabwe is experiencing its 10th consecutive⁶ year of recession, after being described by the World Bank in 2006 as the world's fastest declining economy. It has the highest inflation rate in the world.

Once the breadbasket of sub-Saharan Africa, the country's flourishing commercial agricultural industry rapidly shrunk as a consequence of President Robert Mugabe's chaotic⁷ land reform program.

And the country's highly effective subsistence farmers, who up until the mid-1990s contributed more maize⁸ and grains to the economy than commercial farmers, were also soon affected⁹. As the economy rapidly declined, inputs¹⁰ such as seeds were soon unavailable and now most cannot feed their own families.

President Robert Mugabe, who was re-elected last month in a widely discredited¹¹ presidential runoff election, blames his country's economic woes¹² on the United States and Great Britain. All attempts by his government, including currency revaluation and price freezes have failed to rein¹³ in inflation.

　

 

1 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

2 stashed   

v.贮藏( stash的过去式和过去分词 )；隐藏；藏匿；藏起

参考例句：

• She has a fortune stashed away in various bank accounts. 她有一大笔钱存在几个不同的银行账户下。
• She has a fortune stashed away in various bank accounts. 她在不同的银行账户上秘密储存了一大笔钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

5 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

6 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

9 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。

10 inputs   

n.输入( input的名词复数 )；投入；输入端；输入的数据v.把…输入电脑( input的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Uncheck the inputs checked for optimization in the previous stage. 不测试那些已经测试过的优化了的以前步骤的inputs.（变量参数）。 来自互联网
• Just in case, save in a file the inputs obtained at the previous stage. 以防万一，保存以前步骤获得的inputs（变量参数值）到一个文件中去。 来自互联网

11 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

12 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

13 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。