VOA标准英语2012--IMF Chief: World Economy Is Improving, Recovery Is Fragile

 IMF Chief: World Economy Is Improving, Recovery Is Fragile

Earlier this year, Greece's debt-ridden economy was the attention of world financial markets as well as hard-pressed Greek workers.

But with the streets of Athens now mostly calm and the Greek government backed by an international bailout, Lagarde said world leaders are feeling some measure of relief.

“As a result, we have seen some improvements in the economic climate. But let’s be under no illusion. The risks remain high, and the situation fragile,” she said.

Lagarde said one of the biggest risks for the global economy is the threat of another debt crisis, perhaps in Spain or Italy. The IMF and World Bank are scheduled to hold spring meetings in Washington on April 20 and 21. And Lagarde urges leaders not to waver. 

“The needs today may not be quite as large as we had estimated earlier this year, if only because action was taken by those European institutions that I mentioned earlier. But let us make no mistake, the risks and the needs are still sizeable, and it would be very imprudent to ignore that fact,” she said.

Even as governments throughout the world confront their own debt woes¹, Lagarde said the International Monetary² Fund needs more resources from its 187 member nations to combat future economic crises. She said the cost of inaction could be far higher than giving the IMF more money. 

1 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。

2 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。