VOA慢速英语:Greek Lawmakers Pass Spending Cuts Required for Loans

far用作副词，可用来修饰动词、副词、介词短语、比较级、最高级、以及与 too(太)连用等。如：

Did you drive far? 你开车走了很远吗?

They didn’t walk far. 他们没有走多远。

He is far past fifty. 他大大超过了五十岁。

He worked far into the night. 他工作到深夜。

My friend lives far away [off]. 我的朋友住在很远。

He is far more careful than I am. 他比我仔细得多。

He runs far faster than you. 他比你跑得快得多。

It is far the best film that I’ve ever seen. 那是我看过的最最好的电影。

He was at the station far too early. 他去车站去得太早。

【注】far 可修饰比较级或最高级，但除极个别情况外，一般不能修饰原级，如不能说 far good, far difficult 等。能受 far 修饰的原级形容词主要的有 wrong, short, different 等。如：

This edition is far different from the earlier one. 这个版本与早先那个版本大不相同。

同样地，far 修饰副词，主要用来修饰 away, off, out, back 等表示“位置”的副词，一般不用来修饰 quickly, hardly, recently等原级副词。

2.On Thursday, a day after huge protests in Athens, the Greek parliament approved a series of spending cuts.

a series of一系列

例句：The post office will issue a series of new stamps.
      邮局将要发行一套新邮票。

3.And Greece's public debt is equal to at least one hundred fifteen percent of its economy.

be equal to与…相等,等于…

例句：The heat produced is equal to the electrical energy wasted.
       产生的热量等于浪费了的电能。

在这里的用法相当于account for占有，占...百分比
 
例句：APEC members account for more than half of the world's economic output.
      亚太经合组织成员的经济总量在世界占一半以上。

4.They certainly lost an opportunity that we had in January where it would have cost roughly sixty billion euros to save Greece.

would have cost与过去事实相反的虚拟语气

5.Portugal and Spain have also had their credit ratings reduced.

“have + sth. （宾语）+ 过去分词（宾语补足语）”意为“让 / 叫 / 使 / 请别人做某事”。宾语sth.后面用过去分词作宾语补足语，说明

sth.与过去分词表示的动作之间是被动关系。例如：

　　We had the machine mended just now.

　　我们刚才请人把机器修好了。

　　He has had his hair cut.

　　他（请人给他）理发了。

　　The patient is going to have his temperature taken.

　　这个病人准备请 / 叫 / 让人量体温。