VOA标准英语2013--Some Iraqis Profit from Economic Progress; Most Suffer

 

Some Iraqis Profit from Economic Progress; Most Suffer

Baghdad's Stock Exchange opened one year after the fall of Saddam Hussein as a private non-profit organization - replacing the government-owned Iraq Stock Exchange.

Director Taha Ahmed al-Rubaye said there are 125 private and mixed-ownership (public and private) companies in Iraq. But based on the size of the economy, there should be five to 10 times that many. The government still dominates the economy and hinders reform.

“It's written in the constitution that Iraq must be transferred into a capital market country...with a market economy, or something like that, in the future," said al-Rubaye. "You cannot do that, make the private sector¹ work side to side with the government sector, unless you create companies.”

Iraq's economy is growing at 9 percent a year. And petroleum² production now is nearly 3 million barrels a day, making Iraq the third-largest oil exporter in the world, after Saudi Arabia and Russia.

New stores stocked with expensive goods would indicate a boom in consumer spending.

But the picture is different for most Iraqis who still struggle to survive. Shopper Intissar Fadl said food prices are too high.

“It was a million times better during the days of Saddam,” said a Baghdad shopper.

Clothes vendor³ Lateef Saleh said political instability is hurting his livelihood⁴. He said, “When there is an explosion the customers don't come because they are afraid, even when there are a lot of security forces around.”

Many Iraqis complain that the government has failed to rebuild roads and utilities like electricity and clean water plants. 

A U.S. official who investigated fraud in the American reconstruction⁵ program here, Stuart Bowen, said the main reason is corruption⁷.

“The Iraqis really need to crack down on corruption, and that means modernizing⁸ their government systems of accountability," said Bowen. "Right now their budget process is very rudimentary, and that prevents good insight into how the billions and billions of dollars of their budget is spent.”

Bowen said $8 billion of the $60 billion U.S. reconstruction program was diverted. And a senior Iraqi anti-fraud official said $800 million every week is being transferred illegally (laundered) to foreign bank accounts through fraudulent contracts.

As a result experts say Iraq is one of the most corrupt⁶ countries in the world. 

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 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

3 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

4 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

5 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

6 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

7 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。

8 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。