VOA标准英语2008年-US Financial Turmoil May Limit Overseas Investm

A team of American investors¹ currently touring Africa looking for opportunities says the U.S. financial crisis could sharply restrict western investment in emerging economies. But VOA correspondent Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports Africa's best economic performers appear well-placed to avoid the fallout from the downturn in global markets.

The tour of African capitals was planned before the latest financial shockwaves that unnerved investors and prompted urgent action in Washington to prop² up markets. Several executives who had signed up to participate have stayed home or cut short their visits to attend to business back home.

But the half dozen brokers³ and hedge fund managers who stopped in the Ethiopian capital this week agree Africa still presents excellent investment opportunities for those willing to take the risk. Zoran Milojevic of the New York brokerage firm Auerbach Grayson says African markets are mostly immune to the shock waves rocking more developed economies.

"We believe this crisis taking place in the United States and western Europe has very little impact on what's happening on the African continent because it has been secluded⁴ and totally uncorrelated with the rest of the world," Milojevic said. "That said, the four major African capital markets which are Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, being the largest and most liquid ones, have been as of late following the trends of underperforming. The other ones such as Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Zambia have been doing pretty well."

Another member of the team, Cliff Quisenberry of the U.S. west coast firm Caravan⁵ Capital says despite the relatively⁶ better investment climate in Africa, global economic jitters⁷ (worries) are prompting investors to postpone⁸ or cancel plans to take advantage of African opportunities.

"I do think the environment is very negative in the U.S. and it has implications worldwide, for the world economy," Quisenberry said. "The disadvantage of that for somebody like myself is it does make people a little bit more on edge. Their tolerance⁹ for risk drops and they may view Ethiopia or some of these frontier markets as risky¹⁰. Even here in Ethiopia I've heard of a few instances where funding that was coming out of the U.S. has kind of been turned off."

Economists¹¹ in Addis Ababa say a downturn in the U.S. economy could result in a drop in the estimated one billion dollars a year in hard currency remittances¹² sent from Ethiopians living abroad to relatives back home. But African financiers say there could be a silver lining¹³ to the dark economic cloud. As one put it, 'the less attractive the West is as a point for investment, the more the developing economies benefit."

1 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

2 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

3 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

4 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 jitters   

n.pl.紧张(通常前面要有the)

参考例句：

• I always get the jitters before exams. 我考试前总是很紧张。
• The whole city had the jitters from the bombing. 全城居民都为轰炸而心神不宁。

8 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

9 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

11 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》

12 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

13 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。