(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
A new report says income inequality is hurting the potential for growth around the world. It says the best way to deal with the inequality -- or lack of fairness -- is by helping poor people and the middle class.
The report is based on an International Monetary Fund study. It examined the issue of income inequality: the differences in wealth between the rich and everyone else.
Opinions about income inequality are not hard to find. Many people are concerned about the issue. Kalpana Kochhar is Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy and Review Department at the IMF. On Monday, she said, "The gap between the rich and the poor is at the highest level in decades in advanced countries, and inequality is also rising in major emerging markets."
The new report is called "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective." Ms. Kochhar said, inequality trends have been mixed in emerging markets and developing countries. Some countries are experiencing falling inequality rates, with poor people and the middle class making gains. However, pervasive inequities in education, health care, and finance remain in areas such as Latin America, Middle East and Africa.
The report suggested that policymakers direct their attention on the poor and middle class. That is because they are the major force for economic growth -- or an increase in a country's gross domestic product, or GDP. The GDP is the value of all the finished goods and services produced within the country.
The organizers of the study disputed the main idea of what has been called "trickle down" economic theory. The theory states that economic benefits provided to the wealthy will indirectly help everyone else. The idea is that money and other financial resources will "trickle down" to them.
The IMF study, however, shows the opposite is true. It found that a one percent increase in the earnings of the richest 20 percent of people led to a nearly one percent decrease in GDP growth over a five-year period. An increase in the income share of the poorest 20 percent, the study found, led to more than a one-third percent increase in GDP.
Kalpana Kochhar said this means that directing policy to the poor and middle class is good for growth. She said this means that ending poverty could also improve growth prospects for all. She said that is "a fairly powerful message" for policymakers and researchers around the world.
The report said there is no single program that will succeed in all countries. It said the difference in income levels can have different reasons. The report urged governments to find ways to solve the problem that are specific to their own countries and institutions.
And that's the Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.
词汇解释
1.pervasive adj. 普遍的；到处渗透的；流行的
She lives with a pervasive sense of guilt.
她生活在深深的愧疚之中。
2.inequality n. 不平等；不同；不平均
People are concerned about corruption and social inequality.
人们对腐败和社会不公感到担忧。
3.emerging adj. 新兴的；出现的；形成的 v. 形成；浮现；显露（emerge的ing形式）；由…中脱出
That would not be a good advertisement for Hungary's emerging democracy.
那并不能有效地体现匈牙利新兴的民主意识。
内容解析
1.The organizers of the study disputed the main idea of what has been called "trickle down" economic theory.
trickle down 向下滴流；渗漏 (利益在社会阶层或体制中从上往下传递)
The government is not simply relying on trickle-down economics to tackle poverty.
政府并没有仅仅依赖垂滴经济学来解决贫困。
the failure of the prosperity of Las Vegas' casinos to trickle down to poor neighborhoods.
拉斯维加斯赌场的繁荣向贫穷街区渗漏的失败。
2.The report urged governments to find ways to solve the problem that are specific to their own countries and institutions.
specific to 针对；特定于
This disease is specific to this area.
这种疾病只发生在这一地区。
Send your resume with a cover letter that is specific to that particular job.
寄出你的简历并附上一份针对那个特定工作岗位的附函。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
一份最新报告称收入不平等损害了全世界各地的发展潜力，报告称解决这种不平等的最佳办法是帮助穷人和中产阶级。
这份报告基于国际货币基金组织的研究，调查了收入不平等问题，即富人和其他人之间的财富差异。
有关收入不平等的观点不难找到，很多人都关心这个问题。卡尔帕纳·科赫哈是国际货币基金组织战略、政策和审查部副主任，周一她说，“发达国家富人和穷人之间的差距处于几十年来的最高水平，主要的新兴市场也出现了这种不平等。”
这份新报告名为“全球视角：收入不平等的原因和后果”。科赫哈说，不平等趋势在新兴市场和发展中国家存在差异。一些国家的不平等比率在下降，穷人和中产阶级在受益。然而，教育、医疗和金融方面的普遍不平等在拉美、中东和非洲等地区仍然存在。
这份报告建议政策制定者将注意力转向穷人和中产阶级，这是因为他们是经济发展即一国国民生产总值(GDP)增长的主要动力。国民生产总值是指该国所有产品和服务的总价值。
这份研究的组织者对所谓“涓滴效应”经济理论的主要观点提出异议，该理论认为，提供给富人的经济利益会间接地帮助其他人，这种理论认为金钱和其他金融资源会对其他人产生“涓滴效应”。
然而，国际货币基金组织的研究表明事实恰好相反，研究发现，最富有者的收益每增加1%，五年内国民生产总值的增长就会减少近1%。而且，研究还发现，最穷的20%的人的收入增加会使国民生产总值增加0.33%以上。
卡尔帕纳·科赫哈说，这意味着使政策有利于穷人和中产阶级对增长有利。她说这意味着结束贫困将改善所有人的增长前景，她说这对全世界的政策制定者和研究者来说是“相当有力的信息”。
报告称没有能在所有国家都成功的单一项目，称收入水平的差异有着不同原因。报告敦促各国政府想办法解决本国所特有的问题。
这就是经济报道，我是马里奥·利特。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
