2006年VOA标准英语-Venezuelans Prepare to Vote Amid Good Economic

By Michael Bowman
Caracas
01 December 2006

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is running for reelection at a time of brisk economic growth driven by unprecedented¹ oil revenues. But while many Venezuelans are happily spending money, some economists² are warning that a painful day of reckoning lies ahead. VOA's Michael Bowman has details from Caracas.

 
A man walks by campaign mural for President Hugo Chavez in Maracaibo, in Venezuela's oil-rich Zulia state, 1 Dec 2006
In a country where the poor account for three-fourths of the population, Venezuela has become one of the world's hottest markets for luxury items.

Business is brisk at Caracas' Mercedes-Benz dealership³, where Alejandro Velazco is trading in his dilapidated pickup⁴ truck.

"My preferred car is the Mercedes 300. A classic car, like the 320 you see over there, that also suits my style," he says.

Velazco, a government-employed attorney and ardent⁵ supporter of Hugo Chavez, sees no contradiction between coveting⁶ a nice automobile⁷ while advocating his president's socialist⁸ ideals.

"Our economy is strong. Praise be to God, our country is moving forward," he says. "Economically we have evolved, thanks to President Chavez. He has transformed the nation."

 
Hugo Chavez speaks during news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, 30 Nov 2006 
Mr. Chavez was similarly upbeat at a recent news conference.

"How our country has changed economically! Today we have one of the most flourishing economies on the planet," he said. "Look at the figures: social investment has risen by more than 40 percent in recent years."

Yet even the president has expressed alarm over rampant⁹ consumerism in Venezuela, criticizing his country's new-found appetite for imported whiskey.

Noel Alvarez, who heads an association of Venezuelan retailers¹⁰, Consecomercio, says the problem is not so much that Venezuelans are spending too much, it is that the country is producing little other than oil.

"In Venezuela we have an economic boom driven by demand [for products], not supply," he says. "People are buying goods and services. The banks are lending money. There is a stimulation¹¹ of consumption. But domestic production capacity has not risen, so there is an imbalance between supply and demand."

Alvarez says government expropriations of privately-held lands and assets, coupled with strong anti-capitalist rhetoric¹², have discouraged investment to boost the country's production capacity. As a result, Venezuela is importing vast amounts of goods to satisfy consumer demand, causing oil revenue to flow out of the country almost as fast as it comes in.

Alvaro Brito, former head of Venezuela's largest business association, Fedecamaras, says the trend is not sustainable.

"Looking to the future, we will be in trouble unless the price of oil remains¹³ eternally high and we increase petroleum¹⁴ production each year," he says. "But the next time there is a global recession, demand for oil will fall - and so will prices. That will be catastrophic for Venezuela, because we are overly dependent on oil revenues."

Some economists have warned that Venezuela's consumer over-indulgence will inevitably¹⁵ be followed by a national economic hangover.

If a painful adjustment lies ahead, Caracas resident Sergio Schile says the Chavez administration's massive social spending will be to blame.

"If you give money away, it will go toward ends that are not productive," he says. "That is what populism is all about, and it does not bring progress."

Another Caracas resident, Chavez supporter Alberto Izaguirre, sees things differently.

"Our main problem has been that, for 40 years, previous governments did not distribute the wealth," he says. "It has always stayed in the hands of the elite¹⁶. Chavez has broken this cycle, and has given everyone a slice of the oil revenue."

 
Opposition candidate Manuel Rosales with his security walks through supporters after speaking at campaign rally in Caracas, 25 Nov 2006 
Sunday, Venezuelans cast ballots¹⁷ for president. Challenging Mr. Chavez is Zulia State Governor Manuel Rosales. Rosales has criticized the president's economic policies. But he has not refrained from injecting his own populist proposals, including the direct distribution of Venezuela's oil wealth to the people through government-issued debit¹⁸ cards.

"With all our oil wealth, what have the people been given? Bread crumbs¹⁹ and table scraps," he said. "But that is going to change. We will distribute oil revenue to its rightful owners: the Venezuelan people."

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 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》

3 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

4 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

5 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

6 coveting   

v.贪求，觊觎( covet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We begin by coveting what we see every day. 垂涎的开始是我们每天看见的东西。 来自互联网
• We coveting what we see every day. 之所以如此，是因为我们垂涎每日所见的一些东西。 来自互联网

7 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

8 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。

9 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

10 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

11 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

12 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

15 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

16 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

17 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

19 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？