G20 Leaders Commit to Helping Debt-Strapped Europe

 　　Leaders of the world's top economies ended a two-day summit in Cannes committed to boosting growth and staunching Europe's spreading financial crisis, though leaving the specifics of how they will do so unclear.

　　In one significant step, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies agreed to strengthen the resources of the International Monetary¹ Fund to better battle financial crises like the one now buffeting² Europe. But they left the details, including dollar amounts, for later.

　　Summit host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, acknowledged the grim mood at the two-day summit - as fears grow of another major recession.

　　Sarkozy said G20 members were committed to using every tool to sustain world growth, but that there was no single answer on how to do so.

　　The financial problems of Italy and Greece dominated the summit, which took place as the government of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou teetered on the edge. But a meltdown in Italy, Europe's third biggest economy, would be far more serious.

　　Italy agreed to allow the IMF to monitor whether the government implements³ an ambitious austerity package. IMF chief Christine Lagarde was blunt at a press conference, as she described international doubts.

　　"The problem that is at stake, and was clearly identified both by the Italian authorities and by its partners, is the lack of credibility of the measures that are announced," said Lagarde.

　　Bold actions required

　　Non-European members at the summit have urged the Europeans to speedily resolve the eurozone crisis. U.S. President Barack Obama said he is confident they can do so. What counts, he said, is action.

　　"Our European partners have laid a foundation on which to build - and it has all the elements needed for success. A credible⁴ firewall to prevent the crisis from spreading, strengthening European banks, charting a sustainable path for Greece, and confronting the structural⁵ issues that are at the heart of the current crisis," said Obama.

　　Among other measures, the G20 leaders agreed to toughen capital requirements for banks - naming 29 top banks on the list - so taxpayers⁶ do not end up bailing⁷ out those that go under. The group also vowed⁸ to crack down on tax havens⁹ and consider new sources of development assistance for poorer nations.

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 buffeting   

振动

参考例句：

• The flowers took quite a buffeting in the storm. 花朵在暴风雨中备受摧残。
• He's been buffeting with misfortunes for 15 years. 15年来，他与各种不幸相博斗。

3 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

6 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

7 bailing   

（凿井时用吊桶）排水

参考例句：

• Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and main. 两个人的口水只管喷泉似地朝外涌，两个抽水机全力以赴往外抽水。
• The mechanical sand-bailing technology makes sand-washing operation more efficient. 介绍了机械捞砂的结构装置及工作原理，提出了现场操作注意事项。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网