VOA常速英语:Iraq Struggles to Create Jobs and Wealth

短语讲解：

1. Iraq has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, but its economy suffers from high unemployment, war damage and the lingering effects of past international sanctions.Crumbling infrastructure and political bickering also weigh down economic growth.

suffer from受苦;患病
例句：He suffered from poverty all his life.
他一生受贫穷之苦。
weigh down使颓丧; 使负重; 使下垂, 使下沉
例句：He was weighed down with grief.
他因忧愁而颓丧。

2. Foreign oil companies have made some deals in Iraq, but are hesitant to make more investments until the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government agree on clear laws governing this critical economic sector.

agree on对某事〔物〕有同样看法, 商定〔同意〕某事, 商定做某事
例句：They agreed on leaving there the next day.
他们一致同意第二天离开那里。

3. It's a have a fundamental dispute as to what the future of the state looks like, and the oil is where you can see it most starkly playing out.

look like很可能出现〔引起〕(某事、做某事); 看起来与(某人或某物)相像
例句：The party looks like being a success after all.
无论怎么说这次聚会看起来是成功的。
play out进行到底; 演完, 做完; 疲倦; 用完
例句：We hope we have not yet played out our supplies.
我们希望贮备的东西还没用完。

4. Iraq's economy is recovering slowly from war and sanctions.

recover from恢复, 痊愈
例句：That country hasn't yet recovered from the effects of the war.
战争结束以来, 那个国家尚未恢复元气。