VOA常速英语2014--经济专家: 俄罗斯面临长期衰退痛苦

 

Economist¹: Long Painful Recession in Store for Russia 经济专家: 俄罗斯面临长期衰退痛苦

Russia's battered² currency fell sharply again this week after a government report showed the economy had shrunk in November, the first such decline in five years. The Russian government recently announced steps to stabilize³ its banks and bolster⁴ the value of the beleaguered⁵ ruble.  But experts say the country still faces a recession next year. 

俄罗斯卢布本星期在政府报告显示经济11月下滑后再次大跌，这是俄罗斯经济五年来第一次萎缩。俄罗斯政府最近宣布了稳定银行和保护卢布的措施，不过专家们说，俄罗斯明年仍然面临衰退。俄罗斯经济如何陷入这种困境，将会面临什么样的前景呢？

Despite the holiday lights - the economic prospects⁶ for Russia have dimmed.  Its currency has lost more than half its value this year and banks are running low on cash.  It’s a situation that's bound to get worse before it gets better -- says economist Uri Dadush at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

虽然节日彩灯依然闪亮，但俄罗斯的经济前景已经暗淡下来。卢布的价值今年跌落了一半以上，各银行现金吃紧。卡内基国际和平基金会的经济学者乌里·达杜什说，俄罗斯经济形势还会变得更糟。

“Russia is facing a cliff really next year, the likelihood of a very severe recession and of course, there’s a massive confidence crisis at the moment,” he said.

他说：“俄罗斯明年真的面临悬崖，有可能出现非常严重的衰退，当然，此刻还有严重的信心危机。”

Investors⁷ have already pulled more than $100 billion out of the country.  To stabilize the ruble and keep its banks afloat, Moscow sharply raised interest rates and recently announced plans to pump nearly $20 billion into Russian banks.

投资者已经从俄罗斯撤出了一千多亿美元。为了稳定卢布并帮助银行度过难关，莫斯科大幅提升了利率，并在最近宣布向俄罗斯银行系统注资近200亿美元的计划。

“All these measures together will allow our banking⁸ sector⁹, which is quite stable already, to be even more stable under the new circumstances and safeguard it from new shocks if they do occur,” said Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.

俄罗斯副总理伊戈尔·舒瓦洛夫说：“所有这些措施加在一起，将让我们已经相当稳定的银行系统在新形势下更加稳定，并保证在出现新的震荡时不会受到冲击。”

But any new shocks will hit Russian consumers the hardest.  Most have seen prices for imported goods soar.

然而，任何新的震荡都使俄罗斯消费者受到最大冲击。多数进口货价格飞涨。

“Let’s hope that our government will use their brains and will not let us become poor,” one woman said.

一位俄罗斯妇女在街头对记者说：“但愿我们的政府能够动动脑子，不要让我们变成穷人。”

Economists¹⁰ blame the crisis on Moscow’s failure to diversify¹¹ its energy-based economy.  Add to that the rapid decline in oil prices and economic sanctions imposed by the West to punish Moscow’s aggressive policy in Ukraine -- and White House economic adviser¹² Jason Furman says Russia has only itself to blame.

经济学者说，之所以发生危机，是因为莫斯科未能将依赖能源的经济结构多样化。石油价格的迅速下跌以及俄罗斯对乌克兰的侵略性政策所遭致的西方制裁，使局势雪上加霜。白宫经济顾问贾森·弗曼说，俄罗斯只能怪自己。

“And it’s a serious economic situation that is largely of their own making and largely reflects the consequences of not following a set of international rules,” he said.

他说：“这种严重的经济局势主要是他们自己造成的，主要反映了不遵守一系列国际规则的后果。”

The U.S., which does very little business with Moscow, is largely immune.  But trading partners like China and Europe are likely to feel the pain.  Just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, in the southeast corner of Finland, Russian tourists have stopped coming to the small town of Lappeenranta.  As a result, town officials say more than a thousand stores will probably have to close.

美国与俄罗斯的贸易不多，因此基本不受影响。但中国和欧洲等贸易伙伴可能要感受到痛苦。在离俄罗斯边界只有30公里的芬兰东南角小镇拉彭兰塔，俄罗斯游客不再来了。因此，镇里的官员说，一千多家商店也许要被迫关门。

Unless oil prices rise quickly or Russian President Vladimir Putin changes his mind on Crimea, economist Uri Dadush says it could take years for Russia's economy to recover.

经济学者达杜什说，除非油价迅速回升或者俄罗斯总统普京在克里米亚问题上改变想法，俄罗斯经济可能需要相当一段时间才能恢复元气。

"I think its premature¹³ to say that this will force Mr. Putin's hand," he said. "More likely is a prolonged period of suffering by average Russians and the Russian economy in general, and then at some point over the next two to three years -- the economic situation will stabilize again."

达杜什说：“我认为，说这会逼着普京采取行动还为时过早。更大的可能性是，对普通俄罗斯人和总体的俄罗斯经济来说，将会有长期的痛苦，然后，过了两三年，在某个时刻，经济形势将会再次稳定下来。”

"We have been in much worse situations," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who says the crisis is unlikely to last that long.  And he says history suggests the Russian people and the economy will recover, emerging even stronger than before.

“更遭的局势我们也经历过。”俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫说。拉夫罗夫说，危机不可能持续得那么久。他说，历史表明，俄罗斯人民和俄罗斯经济肯定会恢复过来，并且会比以往更为强大。

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

3 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

7 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

8 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。

9 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。

10 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》

11 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

12 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

13 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。