PBS高端访谈:希腊能否从潜在的经济崩溃中苏醒过来?

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Now to Greece, where Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is running out of time to save his country from potential economic collapse¹.

　　Tsipras will make his case for financial relief at an emergency Eurozone summit tomorrow, hoping to head off a looming² 1.6 billion euro debt payment which is due by June 30.

　　Wall Street Journal reporter Ian Talley joins me to explain what's at stake in these negotiations³.

　　So, Ian, we all kind of have this debt fatigue⁴, this cycle. Greece is on the brink⁵, and Greece is not on the brink. And, well, what is at stake tomorrow? How significant is this?

　　IAN TALLEY: Tomorrow is a critical juncture⁶.

　　It's the heads of state meeting, after a finance ministers meeting had failed to get agreement after months of negotiations. What's at stake is a failed state in Europe. What is at stake is a potential financial contagion⁷. A lot of people say that Europe is much better prepared.

　　But, as Ben Bernanke said the mortgage crisis wasn't at hand right before the financial crisis, no one really knows how bad things could get.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Yes. We have seen video of people kind of making a run on the banks on Friday and Saturday, taking out money from ATMs and — because they're so uncertain on what's going to happen tomorrow.

　　IAN TALLEY: Yes.

　　I think, if there's a decision tomorrow, a deal, then there could be a slow unwinding of the crisis over the months. But few people are giving that deal good odds⁸. More likely is failure to get agreement, and Tuesday comes along, and there's basically financial martial⁹ law imposed, capital controls, so that frantic¹⁰ customers, markets, depositors can't take their cash out en masse, which would put Greece, already in a crisis, into a financial maelstrom¹¹.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: And what happens to their membership in the Eurozone if this debt deal doesn't goes through?

　　IAN TALLEY: That's a really unanswered question.

　　I think a lot of people had been warning of a Greek exit. There certainly is a risk of that. Nobody is ruling that out. At the same time, there are other possibilities, where Greece could issue IOUs in — denominated in euros that could keep it within the political zone, yet within still having a financial and a political crisis.

　　There is still — there is very much a risk of a Greek exit. I think another worry about, not just Greece — Greece exiting, is that being the first domino of other political factions¹² gaining ground in Europe that also want to leave Europe. You could see the beginning of the end of the monetary¹³ union as we know it, though many analysts¹⁴ and economists¹⁵ say that that is not the likeliest option.

　　There still is a desire in Greece, there still is desire in Europe to hold that monetary union together. So, while tomorrow is a critical juncture, it is not the complete endgame.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: All right, Ian Talley of The Wall Street Journal joining us from Washington, thanks so much.

　　IAN TALLEY: Great. Thank you.

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

5 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

6 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

7 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

8 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

9 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

10 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

11 maelstrom   

n.大乱动；大漩涡

参考例句：

• Inside,she was a maelstrom of churning emotions.她心中的情感似波涛汹涌，起伏不定。
• The anxious person has the spirit like a maelstrom.焦虑的人的精神世界就像一个大漩涡。

12 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

13 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。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 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》