VOA慢速英语:Europe and the Debt Crisis in Greece

For months, people around the world have watched the strikes and violent protests in Athens. But Greeks in rural areas say the country's debt crisis is hitting them even harder. And they say the government is ignoring their problems.
几个月来，世界各地的人们已经看到了在雅典的罢工和暴力抗议。但希腊农村地区的人称，该国的债务危机对他们的打击更为严重。他们说，政府无视他们的问题。

In the West Macedonian town of Ptolemaida, electricity is the main industry. Mines in the area supply lignite or "brown coal" for power. The electric company in the town is owned by the state. But the government plans to sell off many of its state-owned utilities to help pay Greece's debts.
西马其顿的Ptolemaida镇，电力是主要工业。该地区的煤矿为发电提供褐煤，该镇的电力公司属于国有企业。但政府计划卖掉许多国有公用事业，以帮助偿还希腊的债务。

In the nearby town of Kozani, Lefteris Ionnadis helps lead an activist group called the Independent Kozani Movement.
在附近的Kozani镇，Lefteris Ionnadis帮助领导了一个名为Independent Kozani Movement的活动组织。

LEFTERIS IOANNIDIS: "Our economy has depended on the coal industry for years. Most people living here were employed in the mines, and other industries were neglected. Private businesses have been struggling for decades, and rural economies have taken a big hit."
LEFTERIS IOANNIDIS：“多年来，我们的经济依赖于煤炭行业。许多生活在这里的居民被矿山雇用，而其它行业则被忽略。私营企业已经挣扎了几十年，农村经济遭受巨大冲击。”

The area is one of the poorest in Europe. It has the highest unemployment rate in Greece, at seventeen percent. And it gets a lot of aid from the European Union.
该地区是欧洲最贫穷的地区之一，它在希腊的失业率最高，到达17%。它得到了很多来自欧盟的援助。

People in Kozani say they are worried about the future.
Kozani的人们说，他们对未来很是担忧。

MAN: "It's getting really bad here. There are no jobs around. Everything is just rotten really."
MAN：“它变得非常糟糕。附近没有工作岗位，一切都糟糕透了。”

WOMAN: "I'm a student. I am absolutely sure I will not be employed once I'm done with my studies. I am also pretty sure I will never get a pension in my life. So at the moment we are just waiting for some gift from God."
WOMAN：“我是一名学生。我绝对相信我一毕业就失业。我也敢肯定，我这辈子都拿不到退休金。所以，目前我们只能等待上天恩赐。”

Lazaros Maloutas is the mayor of Kozani. He says government cuts will end up hurting the Greek economy.
Lazaros Maloutas是Kozani的市长。他说，政府削减支出最终将损害希腊经济。

LAZAROS MALOUTAS: "5.5 billion euros are being cut from the real economy, of what is a fairly small country," he says. "If we stick only to such austerity measures, the country will plunge deeper and deeper into recession. We need investment."
Lazaros Maloutas：“55亿欧元被从这样一个相当小的国家的实体经济中削减出去。他说，如果我们坚持这样的紧缩措施，希腊只会跌得更深并陷入更深的衰退。我们需要投资。”

Leaders of the world's biggest economies held two days of talks late this week in Cannes, France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted the Group of 20 meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the world economy. But the Greek political crisis became a top issue.
本周晚些时候，世界最大经济体领导人在法国戛纳举行了为期两天的会谈。法国总统萨科奇主持了本届20国集团峰会，讨论如何强化世界经济。但是，希腊的政治危机成为一个首要问题。

Earlier this week, Prime Minister George Papandreou made a surprise call for a nationwide vote on the European Union’s latest financial rescue plan. The EU had reached agreement on the plan just days earlier. The plan would reduce Greece's debt by nearly a half if the government approves big spending cuts.
本周早些时候，希腊总理帕潘德里欧意外提出对欧盟最新金融救援计划进行全民公投。欧盟此前几天已经对救援计划达成协议。该计划是如果希腊政府批准大规模削减支出，将削减希腊近一半债务。

On Thursday, Mr. Papandreou withdrew his proposal to let voters decide whether to approve the EU plan. Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had pressured him to drop the idea.
周四，帕潘德里欧先生撤回他让选民决定是否通过欧盟计划的建议。萨科奇和德国总理默克尔曾迫使他放弃这一想法。

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Mr. Sarkozy says Europe's two biggest economies had a duty to intervene to defend the seventeen nations that use the euro.
萨科奇先生说，欧洲最大的两个经济体有责任进行干预，来维护使用欧元的17个国家。

Protesters came from around the world to demonstrate near the G20 meeting on the French Riviera. Eran Hakim flew in from Israel. He blamed the leaders for the growing inequalities in the world.
来自世界各地的示威者在20国集团峰会附近的法国里维埃拉举行示威。Eran Hakim是从以色列飞过来的。他指责这些领导人造成世界上日益加剧的不平等。

ERAN HAKIM: "We see inequality going higher and higher inside countries and between countries. They are managing it, they're responsible. I do not think they will change it, but I am saying that we want it to be changed."
ERAN HAKIM：“我看到国家内部，国与国之间的不平等日益加剧。他们是管理者，应该对此负责。我不认为他们能改变现状，但我要说，我们希望它改变。”

Nellini Stamp took time from the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York to join the protest in France.
Nellini Stamp从纽约占领华尔街示威中抽空到法国来参加抗议。

NELLINI STAMP: "I think it is great because it shows international solidarity, because it is a global economic crisis, so you have to have a global movement, which is happening."
NELLINI STAMP：“我认为这是伟大的，因为它表明国际团结。因为这是一个全球性的经济危机，所以必须有一个全球性运动，而这正在发生。”