VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwe Slashes 10 Zeros from Currency

For the second time in two years, Zimbabwe's central bank is slashing¹ zeros off its largely worthless currency. This time 10 zeros will go, making $10 billion equal to $1. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA that Zimbabwe's political crisis has bankrupted Zimbabwe causing massive emigration with the majoity of the remaining population surviving on one meal a day.

The central bank's governor Gideon Gono chopped 10 zeros off the Zimbabwe dollar and reintroduded coins which have been obsolete² for years.

The highest denomination³ of Zimbabwe currency is currently 100 billion.

After the currency announcement, President Robert Mugabe warned in a televised event Wednesday that he will declare a state of emergency if prices continue to rise.

Officially inflation is at 2.2 million percent, but private sector⁴ economists⁵ estimate it is at least five times higher. Prices double every few days.

The purchase of a small packet of cookies can easily cost 400 billion Zimbabwe dollars. Bread, when it is available, is about 200 billion dollars. A few every day items can cost trillions of dollars, and houses for sale are advertised in quadrillions.

Comparing costs with South African groceries, using a combination of official and black market rates, groceries in Zimbabwe are between three and four times the cost for the same goods in South Africa.

Mr. Mugabe's warnings about price increases came as South African president Thabo Mbeki arrived in Harare to mediate⁶ talks between the Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU-PF.

Mr. Mbeki will meet Mr. Mugabe, whom the opposition⁷ Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, has accused of stealing the election earlier this year.

The MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai easily beat Mr. Mugabe in the first round of the presidential poll but withdrew from the second round because of violence against his supporters.

"We are still negotiating, we want to succeed," Mr. Mugabe said in his televised address."You find room for compromise but sometimes compromise is difficult."

Central bank governor Gono said the new currency will be launched Friday.

1 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

2 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

3 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 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》

6 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。