VOA标准英语2011--The Egyptian Economy: Facing the Unknown

As Egypt works to replace the government of President Hosni Mubarak, the country's financial future is still far from certain. Many Egyptians are confident that a new government will usher¹ in a more efficient and equitable² economy. With the country still in turmoil³, though, the economic recovery could be as unpredictable as the political future.
Five days after popular protests forced the resignation of Mubarak, many Egyptians are still euphoric from what is seen as the people's victory. Their future is unknown, they say, but it will have to be better than what they had before.
With the stock market and banks closed, labor⁴ strikes unresolved, and some foreign businesses and tourists still avoiding Egypt, however, analysts⁵ fear that life could become harder before it becomes easier.
Shops near Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement, re-opened this week. Many workers said their losses were a small sacrifice compared to what the country gained. Bakr Mohamed El Sayed sells pyramid statues, replicas⁶ of the Sphinx and other gifts near the square. He said 18 days without business left him broke, but he always has supported the protests. He thinks a new, free Egypt will draw more shoppers and foreign investors⁷ than ever before.
"I don't have business. I don't have business. I don't have money. I don't have anything, but I wanted to change the system. I wanted to change the president," said Bakr Mohamed El Sayed.
Other workers are more skeptical⁸ about the future. The public sector⁹ was thrown into upheaval¹⁰ last week, and many say they don't want their rights to be forgotten behind the louder voice of the youth movement that spearheaded the revolution. On Monday, protests broke out across the country against employers in industries from textiles to media.
In Cairo, angry transit¹¹ workers gathered by the hundreds, demanding higher salaries and better working conditions. Police officers marched from Tahrir Square to the Ministry¹² of the Interior, chanting, "We are all Egyptian," and accusing the minister of corruption¹³ and violence, while other protesters followed along accusing the officers of brutality¹⁴ and torture. Smaller protests broke out near the opera house, and about 20 employees stood outside a movie theater for a short time, demanding higher wages.
Outside the Interior Ministry, police say their department's reputation for brutality is a result of the leadership, and not the fault of the men on the street. Many say they still make less than $100 a month after 10 years in service.
Officer Hassan Darwish said police officers could better serve the public if they had limits to their working hours and were paid better salaries. Since the revolution, he added, policemen can finally say what they want.
With the continuing turmoil, the Egyptian stock exchange and banks say they cannot re-open, and foreign investors and tourists continue to stay away. A French bank estimated that at the height of the revolution, Egypt's economy lost more than $300 million a day.
Predictions for the country's economic growth also have dropped substantially - to about 3.4 percent this year from previous forecasts of 6 percent.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has called for help from the international community, saying Egypt has been hurt by the political crisis"
Analysts say it would have been impossible for Egypt's governing system to collapse¹⁵ without a massive economic fallout.
Marcus Marktanner, an economist¹⁶ at the American University in Beirut whose research focuses on the role of the state in economic development, said any new Egyptian government must address problems, including wide-scale inefficiency¹⁷. He noted¹⁸ that reducing government waste also will mean increased unemployment. Marktanner said before Egypt can recover, it will have to weather a period of greater hardship.
"You basically have to tear down a house and build another one, so of course the bigger the house was that you tore down, the more people will suffer from it," said Marktanner.
Many Egyptians say, though, that the risks associated with political and economic change will be worth it in the end. They blame much of the widespread poverty in Egypt on government corruption, and say that without leaders stealing from the people, Egypt will prosper¹⁹ like it never has before.

1 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

2 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 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。

6 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

7 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

8 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

9 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。

10 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。

11 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

14 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

15 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

16 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。

17 inefficiency   

n.无效率，无能；无效率事例

参考例句：

• Conflict between management and workers makes for inefficiency in the workplace. 资方与工人之间的冲突使得工厂生产效率很低。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This type of inefficiency arises because workers and management are ill-equipped. 出现此种低效率是因为工人与管理层都能力不足。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。