VOA标准英语2010年-Euro Falls After EU Leader Offer No Ta

The euro fell against other currencies again on Friday a day after European Union leaders offered their support, but no tangible¹ aid to debt racked Greece. The fall of the European currency was not the only bleak² economic news hitting the EU.

The 16-member eurozone was hit with more bad news on Friday, with a new report by the European statistical³ office, Eurostat, showing EU economies growing by only 0.1 percent during the last quarter of 2009.

The euro also slid in currency markets, reflecting lingering jitters⁴ about the eurozone - specifically deficit⁵ strapped⁶ member Greece.

Analysts⁸ suggest the slide also reflected disappointment in the failure of other EU members to offer strong assistance to Greece during a summit Thursday in Brussels.

While EU leaders said they support Athens, they stressed it was up to Greece to put its economic house in order. They did not offer tangible commitments or hard cash.

European finance ministers are expected to hammer out details of possible European aid to Greece during a meeting early next week.   But analyst⁷ Susanne Nies, for one, believes the EU must offer a strong economic plan for the future which includes strengthening the statistical agency Eurostat. Nies, who heads the Brussels office of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), says the Europeans should have seen the Greek crisis coming a long time ago. "What is really necessary is to reinforce Eurostat to avoid these kinds of things happening. Second, a clear sanction mechanism⁹, which doesn't exist, and third, the Eurogroup has to become a real actor today. And in the long-term perspective, the European domestic market needs to function differently," she said.

In Brussels, the European Commission said it was preparing new measures to better coordinate¹⁰ among the 16 members using the euro currency and supervise their economic policies to avoid future crises. The measures could be part of the EU's longer term economic plans.

 

1 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

4 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。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 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。

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。