2006年VOA标准英语-Iranian Government Spending Fueling Inflation

By Gary Thomas
Tehran
12 July 2006

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ran in last years presidential election in Iran as a populist. His pledge to redistribute proceeds from Iran's oil revenues to poor citizens resounded¹ with voters, and Ahmadinejad beat out better-known rivals to win the election. But, questions have arisen about the Ahmadinejad government's economic policies.

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For 62 years, Abol Fazl has minded a small spice stall at Tehran's teeming² central bazaar³. Using an ancient Russian-made scale, he weighs out heaps of ruby-red dried pomegranate seeds and small packages of precious saffron.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, and Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh, left, visit  Tehran's Oil, Gas, Petrochemical Show
(file photo - April 21, 2006)   
  
Life has gotten better under President Ahmadinejad, he says. He has kept his promises.

But the promises that President Ahmadinejad is trying to keep are taking Iran down a controversial economic path, one that worries many experts and businessmen here.

Mohammad Atrianfar, editor of the reformist newspaper Shargh and an associate of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, says prices have risen from one year ago. He says the governments policies are a disaster that will only raise inflation more.

The cornerstone of President Ahmadinejad's populist economic policy is to directly redistribute Iran's oil wealth to the poor. Iran's economy is almost entirely⁴ dependent on oil, and oil prices have risen dramatically.

To carry out his pledges, he has been dipping into the Oil Stabilization⁵ Fund, which is supposed to be used for emergencies, to pay for his economic populism. Government spending has increased by 25 percent.

But inflation is running as high as 15 percent by some independent accounts, although the government claims it has brought it down to around 10 percent. Recently a group of prominent Iranian economists⁶ issued a public letter warning that the Ahmadinejad policies portend⁷ disaster for Iran.

A gold dealer⁸ in the bazaar, Ali Reza Jawaharian, wonders why taxes have gone up if Iran is taking in more oil revenue.

"The tax rate goes up year by year, and the government, in my opinion, can help people and reduce the tax rate because when the business does not work, why should the people pay these taxes," he said.

Many people seem not to hold President Ahmadinejad personally responsible for the inflation and high prices, seeking to blame bureaucrats⁹ or previous administrations. A clothing seller in the bazaar, Mahmood Abdulahi, says the president should shoulder only 40 percent of the responsibility.

People are also worried about the possibility of economic sanctions against Iran over the nuclear issue. Gold dealers¹⁰ in the bazaar say they have many customers who are converting assets into gold as a hedge against further economic upheaval¹¹.

1 resounded   

v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音

参考例句：

• Laughter resounded through the house. 笑声在屋里回荡。
• The echo resounded back to us. 回声传回到我们的耳中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

3 bazaar   

n.集市，商店集中区

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.我们在集市通过讨价还价买到了一条很漂亮的地毯。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

6 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》

7 portend   

v.预兆，预示；给…以警告

参考例句：

• Black clouds portend a storm.乌云为暴风雨的前兆。
• What do these strange events portend?这些奇怪的事件预示着什么？

8 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

9 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

10 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

11 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。