VOA慢速英语:Major Economies Caught in Debate Between Debt and Growth

1.They also promised to try to reduce the size of their government debt in relation to their economy by twenty sixteen.

in relation to与…有关
 
例句：I have a lot to say in relation to that affair.
      关于那件事, 我有很多话要讲。

      The project was outlined with relation to available funds.
      这方案是根据可以获得的经费而拟定的。

相关词组：

related to与…有关系

例句：She says she is related to the royal family.
      她说她与王室有亲戚关系。

      The Dutch language is closely related to German.
       荷兰语和德语有密切关系。

2.President Obama, however, argue that the recession would have been much worse without the spending.

without  would have been虚拟语气

一、用“without/but for/in the absence of ”表示“要不是”，“如果没有”（相当于if it were not for…）表示条件时，句中一般用虚拟语气。（也可用陈述语气） Without your help, I couldn' t finish my work on time. In the absence of water and air, nothing could live. 二、由“providing (that)/ provided (that)/on condition that/ in order that”引导的条件从句或目的从句，根据情况，可用虚拟语气。（有时也可用陈述语气） They are willing surrender provided they are given free passage. 三、用without / but for / in the absence of 表示"要不是"、"如果没有"，表示条件虚拟句： (1). Without air, nothing could live.要是没有空气，什么也不能生存。 (2). But for your assistance, we could not accomplish it.要不是你的帮忙，我们是难有成就的。 (3). In the absence of water and air, nothing could live.如果没有水和空气，什么也不能生存。

3.At the close of the Group of 20 Summit in Toronto, Canada, the president noted moves in Europe to cut government spending.

at the close of在…结束时

4.But we must recognize that our fiscal health tomorrow will rest in no small measure on our ability to create jobs and growth today.

rest on依赖于, 寄托于…上, 基于

例句：Your success rests on your efforts.
      你的成功有赖于你的努力。

      His argument does not rest on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority.
      他的论点不是依靠推理或者实验, 而是靠权威。

in no small measure在不小的程度上，相当于in large part

5.The vote was delayed in part because of the death of longtime Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia.

in part在某种程度上, 部分地

例句：Tom was only in small part responsible.
      汤姆只有一小部分责任。