VOA英语

This week, we look back on a few of the big economic stories of twenty eleven.The debt crisis in Europe spread from it’s started in Greece and Ireland last year.Portugal needed a financial rescue of over 100 dollars in this spring. And Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost support because of his country’s debt troubles.Greek debt continued to hurt European banks. As a result, European finance officials have called for tighter financial cooperation and new rules.Steve Jobs brought the world the iPhone, iPod and iPad. He stepped down in August because of health problems. He helped make Apple into one of the world's most valuable companies. Steve Jobs died in October at the age of fifty-six.Protests for political freedom swept North Africa and the Middle Eastin the Arab Spring. But protests over budget cuts and jobs were heard around the world .In the United States, activists in hundreds of cities protested economic inequality and joblessness. Protestors were angry that banks got rescued with taxpayers ’ money during the fnancial crisis nearly four years ago. But many Americans continue to face hardship.本周我们来回顾一下2011年发生的一些经济大事。

始于去年的欧洲债务危机从希腊和爱尔兰开始蔓延。

今年春天，葡萄牙急需1 0 0 0 亿美元的金融救助。

意大利总理西尔维尔·贝卢斯科尼也因为国家债务问题失去了民众支持。

欧洲银行深受希腊债务危机影响。

因此，欧盟官员呼吁建立更加牢固的金融合作体系，并提出了新规则。

史蒂夫·乔布斯给世界带来了i P h o n e 、i P o d 和i P a d 。

今年8 月，由于健康问题，乔布斯辞去了苹果总裁的职务。

他让苹果成为了全球最有价值的公司之一。

今年10月，乔布斯去世，享年56岁。

在“阿拉伯之春”运动中，旨在寻求政治自由的抗议活动席卷了北非和中东。

而旨在削减预算和增加就业机会的抗议却席卷了全球。

在美国，数百个城市的激进分子抗议经济不平等和失业。

在近四年前的金融危机期间，国家用纳税人的钱救助银行，示威者非常愤怒。

但是，许多美国人仍然面临着困境。

Electronics were among the most requested gifts this holiday season. The Consumer Electronics Association has studied holiday gift buying in the United States for the past eighteen years. Jim Barry is a spokesman for the CEA. We spoke with him last week, just before many Americans exchanged Christmas gifts. He said buyers this year planned to spend a little more than they did last year.And, what they said they were going to buy, the top fi ve were— tabletcomputers, laptops, TVs, e-readers and video games. And that, as it turns out, here as we get close to Christmas, is what people are actually buying.Tablet computers were the most popular electronic gift this year. Laptop computers fi nished second. Apple released its iPad 2 tablet computer in March. The company is expected to release the iPad 3 next year. Jim Barry says the iPad continues to lead the way in the tablet market电子产品是这个假期最热门的礼物之一。

美国消费电子行业协会在过去的1 8 年里对美国人购买的节日礼物进行了研究。

吉姆·巴里是美国消费者电子协会的发言人。

上周，在大多数美国人相互交换圣诞礼物之前，他与我们进行了交流。

他说，消费者今年的计划预算要高于去年。

消费者购买榜单的前五名分别是平板电脑、笔记本电脑、电视、电子阅读器和视频游戏。

在圣诞临近之际，人们购买的就是这些产品。

平板电脑是今年最受欢迎的礼物，笔记本电脑名列第二。

苹果今年3 月份发布了i P a d 2 平板电脑。

预计该公司明年将发布i P a d 3 。

巴里表示，i P a d 将继续引领平板电脑市场。

Moammar Gadhafi ruled Libya for forty-two years. He was killed Thursday after fi ghters loyal to the National Transitional Council, the NTC, captured him in his hometown of Sirte.Questions about how the Libyan leader died have raised the possibility of an international investigation.In two thousand three, Colonel Gadhafi took steps to improve relations with the West. He admitted responsibility for the nineteen eighty-eight bombing of Pan Am fl ight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. That attack killed two hundred seventy people. He also rejected weapons of mass destruction and terrorism . As a result, the United States re-opened diplomatic tieswith Libya.NTC offi cials have said control of Sirte would begin a series of moves for elections , a new government and a new constitution .President Obama said the United States looks forward to the quick formation of a government and to free and fair elections.穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲统治利比亚42年。

就在他的家乡苏尔特，忠于利比亚过渡委员会的士兵于周四将其抓获后击毙。

关于卡扎菲之死的疑问，引发了一场国际性调查。

2 0 03 年，卡扎菲上校采取措施改善与西方国家的关系。

1 9 8 8 年美国泛美航空公司第1 0 3 号班机在苏格兰洛克比发生爆炸，造成2 7 0 人遇难，卡扎菲承认对这次空难负责。

他还放弃了发展大规模杀伤性武器的计划，放弃了恐怖主义。

因此，美国宣布恢复与利比亚的外交关系。

利比亚全国过渡委员会官员称，控制苏尔特后，利比亚将开始着手选举，成立新政府和制定新宪法。

奥巴马总统表示，美国期待利比亚快速组建新政府，并期待利比亚自由公平地选举。

Protests that began last month near Wall Street in New York have now spread to other American cities. The Occupy movement differs from the Tea Party movement. Tea Partiers blame big government for the country’s economic problems. Occupiers blame big business.Many protesters said they were inspired by the Arab Spring movement and protests in Europe.The protesters marched to the United States Chamber of Commerce and denounced the business interests that the group represents.The marchers also stopped outside the White House. Inside, at a news conference, a reporter asked President Obama about the movement.Barack Obama: “Obviously I’ve heard of it. I’ve seen it ontelevision. I think it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel, that we had the biggest fi nancial crisis since the Great Depression, huge collateral damage all throughout the country, all across Main Street, and yet you’re still seeing some of the same folks who acted irresponsiblytrying to fi ght efforts to crack down on abusive practices that got us into this problem in the fi rst place. So, yes, I think people are frustrated, and the protestors are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our fi nancial system works.”始于上月的纽约华尔街抗议活动已经蔓延到了美国其他城市。