VOA标准英语2012--Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive

Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive

Protest marches have become a common sight in Spain - but this was one of the most colorful.

Wearing masks and exotic costumes, prostitutes demonstrated in Barcelona Friday against the city's plans to outlaw¹ street prostitution.

The spokesperson for the group, who calls herself Montse, says because of the economic crisis they can't get any other job.

"There are no real alternatives to earn a living," said Montse. "Jobs need to offer enough money to support a family."

Spain's unemployment has hit a record high of 5.6 million, or nearly a quarter of the potential workforce². The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt Thursday and the country has fallen back in recession.

Tobias Blattner is chief European economist³ at Daiwa Capital Markets.

"At the same time we have this very austere⁴ budget, actually the most austere budget since the 1970s in Spain," said Blattner. "And that obviously leads to a lot of concerns in the markets about the growth prospects⁵ of Spain." 

Austerity versus⁶ growth: the debate now at the heart of Europe's crisis is whether countries can cut ((eliminate workers and programs)) their way to back to economic health.

Like Spain, Italy has seen its borrowing costs rise in recent days.

After the economic crisis hastened the fall of Silvio Berlusconi last November, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti shepherded through a harsh austerity program. At a European Business Summit Thursday, Mr. Monti said it was time to re-focus on growth. 

"Structural⁷ reforms per se will never deliver growth because if a country becomes more productive and more competitive but there is no demand for its products domestically or around it growth will not materialize," said Monti.

Analysts⁸ say debt-laden governments like Italy face a delicate balance; convincing the markets they are solvent⁹ while also trying to invest to grow their economies.

Even Britain, with a top credit rating and access to cheap borrowing, has just slipped back into recession. 

Again, Tobias Blattner of Daiwa Capital Markets:

"It just shows again I think that too much austerity which is obviously the preferred policy of the UK government is maybe not the right approach to tackle the situation right now," he said.

After a few months of respite¹⁰, analysts say that Europe is once again in danger of plunging¹¹ back into an economic storm. 

1 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 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。

4 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

5 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。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

7 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。

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 solvent   

n.溶剂；adj.有偿付能力的

参考例句：

• Gasoline is a solvent liquid which removes grease spots.汽油是一种能去掉油污的有溶解力的液体。
• A bankrupt company is not solvent.一个破产的公司是没有偿还债务的能力的。

10 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

11 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》