VOA标准英语2012--China's New Leaders Face Economic Challenges
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十一月)
China's New Leaders Face Economic Challenges
China's modern cities are built on a massive scale, with architecture in places such as Beijing that ranges from avant-garde to out of this world. But, just above Beijing's busy street corners are signs of the threats China's economy is facing.
"I think that the empty buildings that you see cut to the core of how China has been driving growth over the past few years," says Beijing based-economist Patrick Chovanec. "It's been an investment boom and so China has been driving growth by creating capacity, capacity in housing, in infrastructure 1, in production. And, in order for that growth to be real, there has to be an end user and that's the challenge, where does the end user come from."
When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, China insulated itself from the slowdown by launching a nearly $590 billion stimulus 2. But now, as the country's annual growth is expected to slow to below eight percent this year, economists 3 caution that same strategy will not work.
"That investment boom that has kept the Chinese economy growing in the face of the global economic slowdown, that investment boom is breaking down, it is buckling 4 under its own weight," says Chovanec. "The bad debt and to some extent, the inflation that has been created by pumping the economy full of money has created an unsustainable situation."
Economists say about 80 percent of China's massive 2008 stimulus package went to state-owned enterprises, which still dominate the economy. Weakening their influence is a key challenge for China's new leaders, says economics professor Hu Xingdou. Hu says that state enterprises account for about a third of the Chinese economy.
"But, even with that proportion, they lead the Chinese economy," said Hu. "Even though they constitute only 30-40 percent of the Chinese economy, they control China's economy and all of those sectors 5 where money is made."
Breaking the monopoly that state-run enterprises have over the economy will not be easy, especially because of the political power and influence they wield 6.
"Because there are two main problems with the Chinese economy," Hu added. "One is that power interferes 7 too much in economic issues, the second issue is monopolies, and the impact they have on the structure of the economy."
It remains 8 unclear what plans China's new leaders have for the state-owned enterprises, but the stakes are high. Maintaining a stable economy is a key reason why Chinese remain willing to accept the party's continued monopoly on political power.
- We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
- We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。
- Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
- Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。
- The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
- Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
- The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。
- Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。
- People may wield the power in a democracy.在民主国家里，人民可以行使权力。
- The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
- That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。