VOA慢速英语:Greek Spending Cuts Clear Way for Loans

短语讲解：

1. But the austerity plan led to a national strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with violent demonstrations in Athens.

lead to导致, 引起
例句：In given conditions, a bad thing can lead to good results.
在一定条件下, 一件坏事可以导致好的结果。
national strike全国罢工
along with除...以外(还); 和...一起[一道], 随着
Tobacco is taxed in most countries, along with alcohol.
除酒以外, 烟草在多数国家都要征税。

2. He appealed to parliament to do everything possible to avoid defaulting on the debts of the birthplace of democracy.

appeal to向…呼吁; 向…请求;恳求
例句：The United Nations appealed to the people of the developed countries for aiding those of the backward countries.
联合国呼吁发达国家的人民援助落后国家的人民。
default on拖欠…
例句：He defaulted on his payments for support of the child.
他拖欠孩子的抚养费。

3. Greece is expected to seek more international help, even though years of government borrowing led to the crisis.

be expected to 期望，期待
例句：He is expected to get through to the finals.
我们期待他进入决赛。
even though即使、虽然
例句：He's the best teacher even though he has the least experience.
尽管他经验最少, 但教得最好。

4. Many protesters said their government is making decisions that serve the interests of wealthy nations.

make a decision　做出决定
例句：You need to make a decision soon.
你需要马上做出决定。

5. I think the policies are a good step towards finding common ground with the European Union, which is I think a vision that all Greeks should aspire to.

common ground共同点
例句：We may seek common ground while reserving differences.
我们可以求同存异。

6. I don’t think any country can operate in isolation these days, especially a country the size of Greece.

in isolation孤立地
例句：It is difficult for any country to develop in isolation.
任何国家都难以在封闭的状态下得到发展。

7. He is under house arrest in New York, charged with sexually attacking a hotel maid.

charge with控诉，控告，指控；指责
例句：That man was charged with plotting to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States.
那个人被指控试图在美国使用大规模杀伤性武器。

8. Ms. Lagarde has promised to be a strong voice for developing countries, especially in Asia and Africa.

developing countries发展中国家
例句：Rich countries should give more aid to developing countries.
富有的国家应对开发中的国家多予援助。

9. And one key factor in guiding this decision is certainly the ability for Christine Lagarde as a European coming from a key euro area country to exert pressure, leverage on her European fellow finance ministers in terms of taking a more aggressive stance on the European crisis.

come from来自某处
例句：They came from all parts of the country.
他们来自全国各地。
in terms of就…而言, 从…方面说来
例句：He thought of everything in terms of money.
他是从钱的角度来看每一件事。