IMF: Global Economy Growing But Faces Risks

     The International Monetary¹ Fund said Monday that the global economic recovery not only is continuing, but it is also strengthening.  But, economists（经济学者） caution that unemployment and commodity prices remain high.

    IMF Chief Economist² Olivier Blanchard said world economic growth is projected to be about 4.5 percent this year and next, which he characterized as a "fairly high" growth rate.

    Although that news is good news, Blanchard told reporters at IMF headquarters in Washington that the latest forecast shows that the growth rate varies for emerging and advanced economies. "If you look at the details, you find that for advanced economies, we forecast only 2.5 percent for each of the two years.  And for the emerging and developing countries, we forecast 6.5 percent for each of the next two years," he said.

    Blanchard noted³ a new concern is commodity prices, which have risen more than expected.  He said rising food prices pose more of a problem in emerging countries, where the credibility of central banks can be weak.

    "So in these countries, they have to be more careful.  And it could be that inflation（通货膨胀） will be a bit higher for some time.  But as our forecast indicates, we do not expect this to have a major adverse⁴ affect on growth," he said.

    High commodity prices can pose a threat to developing countries, even when those prices do not derail economic growth.  Soaring costs can fuel social tensions.  High commodity prices played a role in this year's political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

    Blanchard said low interest rates make fiscal⁵ adjustment much easier in developing nations.  He said exports have largely recovered, and declines in foreign demand have generally been balanced out by increases in domestic demand.  Still, he said, the global recovery is unbalanced. "In most advanced economies, output is still far below potential.  Unemployment is high, and low growth implies that it will remain so for many years to come," he said.

    Blanchard added that the source of low growth pre-dates the recent international financial crisis.  He pointed⁶ to the depressed⁷ housing market that has led to low housing investment in many countries.

    Blanchard said advanced economies have only partly heeded⁸ IMF advice to be more transparent⁹ about the risks on bank balance sheets, and to revise financial regulation and supervision¹⁰.

    The IMF's chief economist also said it will take a long time to gauge¹¹ the success of efforts to improve the faltering¹² economies in advanced countries such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

    He added that the financial crisis left no lasting¹³ wounds on emerging market economies.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 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。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

5 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

8 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

10 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

11 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

12 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

13 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。