正文
VOA慢速英语:Anti-Corruption Group Says Abuse of Power Still ‘Very High’ in Many Countries
来自美国之音慢速英语,这里是经济报道。
A group that brings attention to the issue of corruption says levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still “very high” in many countries.
关注腐败问题的一个组织称很多国家的贿赂、滥用职权和秘密交易程度仍很高。
Transparency International this week released its yearly Corruption Perceptions Index. The Berlin-based group rates 176 countries and territories with a number from zero to 100. Bigger numbers are better.
国际透明组织本周发布年度清廉指数,这家总部在柏林的组织给176个国家和地区的评分,分数在0到100之间。分数越高越好。
The index measures the perceived, or apparent, level of corruption in a country. The group uses information from a number of economic sources. They include the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.
该指数衡量一个国家的腐败程度,该组织援引的资料来自多个经济组织,包括非洲发展银行、世界银行和世界经济论坛。
Corruption takes many forms. Transparency International calls it “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” One common form of corruption is bribery: the use of money or gifts to persuade another person to do something wrong or illegal. Corruption is not easy to measure because it is secretive. But the World Bank estimates that about $1 trillion in bribes are paid every year worldwide. Stealing public money is another form of corruption.
腐败有多种形式,国际透明组织称腐败为“滥用委托之权来获取个人利益”。常见的一种腐败就是受贿,使用金钱或礼物来劝说别人做非法或错误的事情。腐败由于其秘密性难以衡量,但世界银行估计,全球每年大约贿赂一万亿美元。盗取公共资金是另一种形式的腐败。
Huguette Labelle is chair of Transparency International. She says the problem of corruption affects millions of people and limits their ability to get necessary services.
胡吉特•拉贝尔是国际透明组织主席,她说腐败问题影响了无数人,限制他们获得必要服务的能力。
“And in some countries it can be that 50 percent of the population had to pay a bribe to gain access to essential services like water, education, health, licenses.”
“在有的国家,有50%的人必须贿赂以获得必要的服务,比如水、教育、医疗和执照。”
A group of small, developed nations scored highest on the new list. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand received a rating of 90. Among large nations, the United States rated 73 while C**a rated 39.
一些发达小国在新名单中分数最高,丹麦、芬兰和新西兰分数为90,在大国中,美国得分73,**39。
The countries with the greatest perceived level of corruption on the list are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan with scores of 8.
腐败程度最高的国家包括索马里、朝鲜和阿富汗,这些国家分数为8。
Robin Hodess directs research at Transparency International. She says the index can show people involved in policy decisions how others see the issue of corruption in their countries.
罗宾•霍德斯负责透明国际组织的研究工作,她说,这个指数可以让决策者了解外人如何看待本国的腐败问题。
"We need evidence about how corruption works. We need to know where to target the reforms needed to promote transparency, accountability and integrity."
“我们需要有关腐败运作的证据,需要知道从何处着手进行改革,以提高透明度、可靠性和诚信度。”
The index measures perceptions held by experts, businesses and organizations. And their opinions are important. The World Bank notes that countries showing improvements in perception indexes had greater foreign investment and economic growth. However, foreign aid and international trade is less likely for countries perceived as highly corrupt.
该指数借鉴了专家、商界和组织的看法,他们的意见很重要。世界银行指出,腐败指数有所改善国家得到了较多的外国投资,经济发展较快。然而,各国的外国援助和国际贸易不大会被视为高度腐败。
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