VOA标准英语2011--Strikes Paralyze Athens Amid Violent Clashes

Strikes Paralyze Athens Amid Violent Clashes

Protesters and police have clashed outside the Greek parliament as a massive protest and general strike shut down Athens. Both public and private sector¹ unions are backing the industrial action against the government’s plans to slash² the salaries of public workers and raise taxes. The government says the measures are vital if it is to receive the next slice of bailout money.

An estimated 70,000 people marched Wednesday, protesting against the government’s latest round of austerity measures. A small number attempted to break into the building - launching stones and petrol bombs at police - who returned fire with tear gas.

This is the largest strike and protest Athens has seen since June. Steel worker Thanasis Protellis said they will not back down.

"This government must fall and all the parties that support these measures must fall with it,” he said.

Athens is frozen operationally. The 48-hour strike by public and private sector workers has seen flights grounded. In Piraeus, the port of Athens, the ferries are anchored and going nowhere.

Schools are closed, while banks and shops will stay shuttered until Friday at the earliest.

Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary of ADEDY, the public workers’ union, said the austerity measures are crippling Greece.

“Normal workers are paying higher taxes, they’re getting lower salaries, lower pensions, resulting in the economy being literally³ destroyed,” he said. “This has led to 500,000 businesses shutting down, and this, in turn, to 1.2 million people unemployed⁴ who find it hard to live, let alone pay the state taxes.”

Not all Greek workers want to strike. Stefanos Troupakis, a stockbroker⁵ with Piraeus Bank, said, "It’s a very difficult environment to get your job done every day. It just makes simple things more difficult, so let alone having to face all the problems that we’re all facing. It just makes things worse.”

Politicians are voting on two bills, which would see 30,000 public workers put on reduced pay, taxes raised and pensions reduced further. It’s aimed at cutting the huge debt, now running at 162 percent of GDP.

To receive the next $11 billion of bailout money, Greece must satisfy the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank - the so-called troika - that it can slash spending.

Political commentator⁶ Kostas Raptis said most Greeks believe the only way out is a default on the debt.

“Things get even worse by applying the troika rules. It’s a death spiral. Austerity makes the GDP contract. So how could Greece get out of this trap?” asked Raptis.

It’s a trap that Europe’s politicians fear could ensnare bigger economies like Italy and Spain. Analysts⁷ say the consequences of that would be far greater than the fallout from Greece.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 stockbroker   

n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）

参考例句：

• The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
• My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。

6 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

7 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。