(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
A group of international aid, religious and other groups is calling for debt cancellation for Nepal.
The country is struggling with the effects of a powerful earthquake on April 25 that struck the central part of the country near the capital, Kathmandu. More than 7,300 people died in the quake. The United Nations says eight million people, more than one fourth of the country's population, has been affected by the disaster.
Jubilee Network USA is a coalition of religious and aid groups that works to end extreme poverty. The group, a non-governmental organization, or NGO, says Nepal owes a total of $3.8 billion to foreign creditors including the World Bank and the Asian Development bank.
The coalition's executive director Eric LeCompte says his organization is trying to persuade the agencies to do more to ease the financial burden on Nepal. He says Nepal was repaying $220 million a year to international lenders before the quake. He says money to repay Nepal's debt should go to repair, rebuild, and help the nation recover.
Mr. LeCompte says international lenders have cancelled millions of dollars in debt owed by the West African nations devastated by the Ebola crisis. He says he believes the debt relief programs should come with requirements for greater openness and accountability. He says that means the money that would have gone to repayment goes to the most vulnerable citizens, rather than to tax breaks for companies or to support the military.
The International Monetary Fund's Gerry Rice says the agency will send experts to study Nepal's needs "as soon as the humanitarian situation subsides." He says in cases of disaster, the IMF usually provides medium and long-term financing to help rebuilding efforts and offers technical support.
Nepal has a population of more than 28 million people. The World Bank says the country's economic growth was greater than five percent each year. The loss of thousands of lives and widespread damage to roads, buildings and other infrastructure is likely to hurt growth. The average income in the small country is $730 a year. One fourth of Nepal's population lives in poverty.
And that is the VOA Learning English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.
VOA英文文本来自51VOA，译文由可可原创，未经许可请勿转载。
词汇学习
1.affect v. 影响；打动；（疾病等）侵袭
Poor housing and family stress can affect both physical and mental health.
住房条件差、家庭压力大会影响身心两方面的健康。
2.owe vt.欠…债
I'm broke, Livy, and I owe a couple of million dollars.
我破产了，莉薇，而且我欠了几百万美元的债。
3.persuade vt.& vi.说服；劝说
Somehow, he'd managed to persuade Kay to buy one for him.
不知用了什么方法，他成功说服凯给他买了一个。
4.repay v.偿还，补偿
His main task is to raise enough finance to repay secured loans.
他的主要任务是筹集足够的资金以偿还抵押贷款。
5.accountability n.有责任，有义务
Good management in the police cannot be divorced from accountability.
对警察队伍的良好管理和应负的责任是分不开的。
6.vulnerable adj.（地方）易受攻击的；易受伤的
Goodyear could be vulnerable in a prolonged economic slump.
经济长期疲软可能会对固特异公司造成影响。
内容解析
1.A group of international aid, religious and other groups is calling for debt cancellation for Nepal.
call for要求
Dawkins ends his discussion with a call for liberation.
道金斯以呼吁解放结束了他的论述。
2.The United Nations says eight million people, more than one fourth of the country's population, has been affected by the disaster.
one fourth分数的表示
分数在英语中通常是借助于表达的。其中基数词表示分子，序数词表示分母。
如：
1)The centimeter is one-tenth of the decimeter or one-hundredth of the meter．厘米是分米的十分之一，或者说是米的百分之一。
2)However，the number of boys will bea third or less than the girls in the class．但是，班里男生的人数将比女生少三分之一或更少。
从以上例子可以看出：分子除用one外，也可用a；如果分子大于1，分母要用复数形式。但是，1／2不能说a（one）second，而要说a（one）half。例如：
3)The sum of one half，one third and number is 13.某数的1／2，1／3和1／4的和是13。
1／4和3／4可以说a（one）fourth和three fourths，但常用a quarter和three quarters表示。应该注意的是，分数修饰名词时，若该名词是不可数名词只能用单数；若是可数名词，用单数或复数均可。但是，若它们在句子中作主语，则谓语动词是用单数还是复数取决于名词，即与分数所修饰的名词保持一致。例如：
4)Only one-fifth of air consists of oxygen．氧气只占空气的1／5。
5)About two thirds of the students attendthe meeting．大约2／3的学生都参加了会议。
带分数也是常见的英语数词表达。所谓带分数，实际上是“整数＋分数”，表达时分而述之，只是整数部分与分数部分要用连词 and连接。当带分数修饰名词时，该名词通常是复数，但若名词置于整数one或a之后，则用单数。“带分数＋名词”作主语时，要用复数。例如：
6)You should finish the work within one and a fourth hours．你应在1．25小时内完成工作。
7)The atom breaks up in a minute and a quarter．原子在1．25分钟内裂变。
3.The group, a non-governmental organization, or NGO, says Nepal owes a total of $3.8 billion to foreign creditors including the World Bank and the Asian Development bank.
a total of总数为
Rude taxi drivers clocked up a total of 239 offences in 1990.
1990年，出租车司机鲁莽驾驶导致的违章事件总共达239起。
4.He says that means the money that would have gone to repayment goes to the most vulnerable citizens, rather than to tax breaks for companies or to support the military.
rather than而不是
Circumstances dictated that they played a defensive rather than attacking game.
比赛形势决定了他们要打防守战而不是进攻战。
参考翻译
美国之音慢速英语节目，这里是经济报道。
一个涉及国际援助、宗教以及其它方面的组织呼吁国际社会取消尼泊尔的债务。
4月25日，强震袭击了尼泊尔中部地区，首都加德满都附近。国家正在努力应对地震造成的影响。7300多人在这场地震中遇难。联合国表示，八百万人——该国超过四分之一的人口受到这场灾难的影响。
Jubilee Network USA是各个致力于终结极端贫困的宗教和援助组织联盟。该非政府机构表示，尼泊尔背负着38亿美元的外国债务，包括世界银行和亚洲开发银行等债权人。
该联盟执行董事Eric LeCompte表示，该组织正试图说服各机构进一步缓解尼泊尔的经济负担。他说，地震前，尼泊尔每年向国际债权人偿还2.2亿美元的债务。他说，用于偿付尼泊尔债务的资金应该用于修理、重建和帮助该国从地震中复苏。
LeCompte先生表示，国际债权人已经取消了被埃博拉疫情危机影响的西非国家所欠的数百万美元债务。他认为这一债务减免方案的出台应该伴随着更大程度的透明度和责任制。这意味着这笔应该用于还债的资金将会用于帮助最弱势的民众，而不是用于减免各个公司的税款或支持军队建设。
国际货币基金组织(IMF)发言人盖瑞·奈斯(Gerry Rice)表示，一旦人道主义形势稳定下来，该机构将会派遣专家调查尼泊尔的需求。他说，在发生灾难的情况下，国际货币基金组织通常会提供中长期融资帮助重建工作，并提供技术支持。
尼泊尔人口超过2800多万。世界银行表示，该国每年的经济增长速度超过5%。数千人遇难，道路、建筑等基础设施广泛遭到破坏，这可能会损害经济增长。这个小国家的人均年收入为730美元，四分之一人口生活在贫困中。
以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语经济报道的全部内容。我是Mario Ritter。
