Workers in Europe protest austerity measures

（单词翻译）

    BEIJING, Sep.27 (Xinhuanet) --? As thousands of demonstrators（示威者） marched in European capitals on Wednesday to protest recent austerity measures, officials in Brussels proposed stiffening¹ sanctions（制裁） for governments that fail to cut their budget deficits² and debt swiftly enough.
    European Day of ActionIn MadridThe first general strike that Spain has witnessed for eight years ended Wednesday with a march through the streets of Madrid. The march, which was led by Union Leaders Carmona Mendez and Ignacio Toxo, began at the emblematic³ Plaza⁴ Neptuno, before moving along the city's main road the Paseo de la Castellana to Plaza Cibeles.
    Tens of thousands of workers took the opportunity（抓住机会） to join the march, organized in protest at the labor⁵ reform of Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his Socialist⁶ Party ( PSOE).
    In BrusselsTens of thousands of workers marched through streets in Brussels on Wednesday to protest the budget-slashing plans taken by many European governments to rein⁷ in deficits.
    The protest started at 1 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) at the Gare du Midi (south railway station). Workers headed for the Cinquantenaire Park near the European Union institutions, waving union flags and carrying banners saying "No to austerity," "No cuts" and "Priority for jobs and growth." The whole procession went peacefully and orderly.
    In GreekGreek labor unions of civil servants and private sector⁸ employees marked on Wednesday the European Day of Action, stepping up protests over harsh austerity measures implemented⁹ by the government this year to overcome an acute debt crisis.
    Thousands of commuters nationwide suffered, since the subway, trains and buses did not operate for four hours and dockworkers joined the protest with work stoppages at the ports earlier in the morning. Public hospitals across the country run on limited personnel all day due to a 24-hour strike organized by the doctors ' and nurses' unions.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)