VOA英语2010年-Top Economic Stories of 2010

The tide from the global recession has ebbed¹, but economists³ say the world is still feeling turbulence⁴ in its wake: continuing high unemployment, the European debt crisis and a lopsided, uneven⁵ recovery. Mil Arcega spoke⁶ with economists about the big stories that shaped the global economy in 2010.

A snapshot of the world economy in 2010 shows the globe weathering the worst financial crisis of this generation.

But more than two years after the downturn, it remains⁷ a fragile, uneven recovery - one that World Bank economist² Hans Timmer says is largely driven by growth in developing nations.

"By far the most, the biggest story is the very strong performance of the emerging economies especially in Asia, but increasingly also in Latin America," said Timmer.

But the rapid expansion in countries such as China, India and Brazil underscored a growing imbalance.
By the mid-point of the year, stubbornly high unemployment in the United States, and the threat of insolvency⁸ within the 16-nation eurozone had become another reminder⁹ that the recovery would neither be smooth nor easy.
Uri Dadush is the director of Carnegie's International Economics Program.

"I think the biggest story in 2010 was the continuation of the recovery which was actually quite rapid, but the other big story of 2010 was the emergence¹⁰ of the European debt crisis which is continuing to simmer and represents the biggest risk for the global economy in 2011, " said Dadush.

Amid a storm of protests in Greece over austerity measures that were preconditions for a European bailout, worried investors¹¹ lost confidence in the euro. The dollar wasn't doing much better. A week before a crucial meeting of G20 leaders, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a new plan to buy $600 billion in government securities. The policy was meant to lower interest rates and bolster¹² the U.S. economy.

But G20 leaders accused the U.S. pumping dollars into world markets to make U.S. exports cheaper.

The policy fanned protectionist sentiments and, says Domenico Lombardi at the Brookings Institution, undermined the U.S. argument against currency manipulation by China.

"The timing¹³ of that announcement was a little bit unfortunate because it sort of jeopardized¹⁴ in a way the chances of having a full cooperative meeting because then emerging economies reacted to that announcement," said Lombardi.

Without the urgency that had characterized previous meetings, G20 leaders managed only a commitment in principle against currency manipulation.

But the G20's inability to find more common ground was soon eclipsed by fears of a larger European crisis. Faced with a banking¹⁵ crisis and the prospect¹⁶ of not being able to repay its debts, Ireland became the second eurozone country to ask for a bailout.

Without a bigger fund, economist Desmond Lachman at the American Enterprise Institute says other high-debt countries will fall.

"The country that is very likely to be next is Portugal, and after Portugal, we'll get Spain," said Lachman.

Spain poses the biggest challenge yet for the European Union. As the third largest economy in Europe, many consider Spain too big to fail.

"You know my view is that countries like Portugal, Spain, Ireland, that they simply can't stay within the rigors¹⁷ of the euro," explained Lachman.

But the World Bank's Hans Timmer says talk of the euro's demise¹⁸ is greatly exaggerated.

"He [referring to Lachman] underestimates the determination by the European policy makers¹⁹ to stick to the euro and to do everything to defend it," he said.

Economists say a stable Europe is critical to the global recovery. Domenico Lombardi at Brookings says that's especially true in Africa, where European donor²⁰ money represents a significant chunk²¹ of the overall budget of some countries.

"If the prospects²² for Europe improve then clearly Africa is going to benefit from that," he said.

Adding to the inter-connectedness of the global economy is growing consensus²³ among experts that rapid expansion in some emerging markets is unsustainable without balanced growth in the West.
Again, the World Bank's Hans Timmer:

"Part of the problem is that increasingly unemployment becomes structural²⁴ in the United States," he said. "It's concentrated in sectors²⁵ that were unsustainably large during the boom period before the crisis, so you need to create employment in new sectors."

But as the old year makes way for the new one, a late but noticeable surge in U.S. consumer confidence is helping²⁶ to reduce the prospects of another downturn. Still - even the most optimistic analysts²⁷ say a realistic forecast for the world economy in 2011 is for more of the same - painfully slow but steady growth - amid rapidly rising debt.

1 ebbed   

（指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• But the pain had ebbed away and the trembling had stopped. 不过这次痛已减退，寒战也停止了。
• But gradually his interest in good causes ebbed away. 不过后来他对这类事业兴趣也逐渐淡薄了。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 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》

4 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

5 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 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。

8 insolvency   

n.无力偿付，破产

参考例句：

• The company is on the verge of insolvency.该公司快要破产了。
• Normal insolvency procedures should not be applied to banks.通常的破产程序不应当适用于银行。

9 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

10 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

11 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

12 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

13 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

14 jeopardized   

危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade. 这个士兵冒生命的危险救他的同志。
• The occasional failed project or neglected opportunity does not jeopardized overall progress. 偶然失败的项目或失误的机会并没有影响总的进展。

15 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

16 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

17 rigors   

严格( rigor的名词复数 )； 严酷； 严密； （由惊吓或中毒等导致的身体）僵直

参考例句：

• The rigors of that lonely land need no further description. 生活在那个穷乡僻壤的困苦是无庸赘言的。
• You aren't ready for the rigors of industry. 你不适合干工业的艰苦工作了。

18 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

19 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

21 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

22 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

23 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

24 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

25 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

26 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

27 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。