Italian Senate Approves Financial Reforms

 　　The Italian Senate has approved new austerity measures, the first step to ease the country's financial crisis and open the path for the expected resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

　　The upper house of the Italian Parliament approved the financial reforms Friday, with the lower Chamber¹ of Deputies expected to give its assent² on Saturday. When final approval of the austerity plan occurs, Mr. Berlusconi has said he will resign as the country's leader.

　　That is likely to lead to formation of a new government headed by former European Union Competition Commissioner³ Mario Monti. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano earlier this week named Monti a senator for life, and senators applauded him in the chamber Friday.

　　In Greece, Lucas Papademos was sworn in Friday as interim⁴ prime minister, to head a coalition⁵ government that hopes to rescue that country from a deep financial crisis. His new cabinet includes Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, a key figure from the outgoing government of Socialist⁶ Prime Minister George Papandreou.

　　European and U.S. stock markets jumped Friday as investors⁷ welcomed the news from Italy and Greece.

　　The Greeck transitional government will implement⁸ deeply unpopular budget cuts required by European leaders in order to secure the next installment⁹ of a rescue package that would keep Greece from going bankrupt within weeks.

　　Mr. Papademos said the coalition government would "do the best it can" to solve the country's economic woes¹⁰. The new leader said he expects to be successful, if the country is unified¹¹.

　　Italy has the third largest economy in the eurozone, but its economic growth is stagnant¹² and the country has accumulated a staggering $2.6 trillion in public debt. Its borrowing costs topped 7 percent this week, the threshold that forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek international bailouts. But with Italian lawmakers on track to adopt the austerity plan, the interest has now retreated below the 7 percent mark.

　　The Italian austerity measures include the sale of $20 billion worth of government property, opening up closed professions and increasing the country's retirement¹³ age from 65 to 67 by 2026.

1 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

2 assent   

v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
• The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

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 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

10 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。

11 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

12 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。