VOA慢速英语:Public Debt and Protests Made Economic News in 2011

This week, we look back on a few of the big economic stories of twenty eleven.
这一星期，我们来回顾一下2011年发生的一些经济大事件。

The debt crisis in that started last year in Greece and Ireland spread to other European countries.
去年，从希腊和爱尔兰开始的债务危机蔓延到欧洲其他国家。

Portugal required a financial rescue of over one hundred billion dollars earlier this year. And Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost political support because of his country’s debt troubles. Former EU official Mario Monti took over as Italy’s prime minister in November.
今年早些时候，葡萄牙需要超过1千亿美元金融救助。而意大利总理贝卢斯科尼也因为国家债务问题失去了政治支持，前欧盟官员蒙蒂于11月出任新总理。

Greek debt continued to hurt European banks. There is great pressure on Europe’s financial system from debt problems in countries that use the euro.  This has created questions about the future of the euro itself. As a result, European finance officials have called for tighter financial cooperation and new rules.
希腊债务危机继续危害欧洲银行。欧元区国家的债务问题给欧洲的金融体系造成巨大的压力，这已经给欧元自身未来制造了不少麻烦。因此，欧洲财政官员呼吁更加严格的金融合作和新规则。

But European leaders have yet to agree on expanding the rescue fund meant for debt-troubled euro-area economies.
但欧洲领导人还未就对债务困扰的欧元区经济体的救助基金达成一致。

World Bank President Robert Zoellick say Europe will have to find answers to its debt problems.
世界银行行长佐利克说，欧洲不得不为其债务问题的寻找解决办法。

ROBERT ZOELLICK:  "Europe has to rescue Europe, OK? And it's very important. If there's any message when I'm asked, 'Well, what can the U.S. do and what can China do?' The best thing they can do is clean up their act at home, be a source of growth at home."
佐利克：“欧洲不得不拯救欧洲，是不是？这是非常重要的。当我问‘好吧，美国和中国可以怎么做呢？’，如果有任何回应的时候。他们能做到的最好的事情就是做好自己国内的事，让国内成为经济增长的源泉。”

But Mister Zoellick also said it was important for other big economies to deal with their own budget imbalances.
但佐利克先生还表示，其它经济大国处理好自己的预算失衡也很重要。

ROBERT ZOELLICK:  "The downgrade of America from triple A didn't affect the finances today, but it may be one of those events people look back on 10 years from now and say, 'Did they get the warning? '"
佐立克：“美国从3A降级没有影响到今天的金融，但它可能是十年后人们回顾今天时的一个重大事件，并说,'他们收到警告了吗？'”

In August, the United States had its credit rating cut from the highest level, triple A, to double A plus. The move was widely blamed on the failure of American lawmakers to agree on details of budget cuts to reduce deficits.
今年八月，美国信用评级从最高级AAA降到AA+。此举普遍归咎于美国国会议员未能就减少赤字的预算削减细节达成一致。

In business news, the largest publicly traded technology company, Apple, lost its chief.
在商业新闻中，最大的公开上市科技公司，苹果，失去了其领袖。

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Steve Jobs brought the world the iPhone, iPod and iPad. He stepped down in August because of health problems. He helped make Apple into one of the world’s most valuable companies. Steve Jobs died of cancer in October at the age of fifty-six.
史蒂夫乔布斯给世界带来了iPhone，iPod和iPad。他因为健康问题在今年8月份离职。他让苹果成为了全球市值最高的公司之一。今年十月，乔布斯因癌症去世，享年56岁。
 
Protests for political freedom swept North Africa and the Middle East in the Arab Spring.  But protests over budget cuts and jobs were heard around the world.
在阿拉伯**中，寻求政治自由的抗议活动席卷北非和中东。但就预算削减和就业机会的抗议席卷了全球。

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In the United States, activists in hundreds of cities protested economic inequality and joblessness. Protestors were angry that banks got rescued with taxpayers’ money during the financial crisis nearly four years ago.  But many Americans continue to face hardship.
在美国，在数百个城市的活动家抗议经济上的不平等和失业。抗议者对约四年前金融危机期间，国家用纳税人的钱救助银行感到非常愤怒，而许多美国人仍继续面临着困境。

Anger over government budget cuts led to protests in Greece, Britain and elsewhere.
对政府削减预算的愤怒导致了希腊、英国和其它地方的抗议活动。

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