金融時(shí)報(bào):歐洲明燈愛(ài)爾蘭

歐洲明燈愛(ài)爾蘭

作為備受金融危機(jī)打擊的歐洲國(guó)家，愛(ài)爾蘭如今的經(jīng)濟(jì)恢復(fù)和增長(zhǎng)讓人刮目相看。FT社論認(rèn)為，這顯示了果斷而嚴(yán)厲的經(jīng)濟(jì)緊縮和改革是值得的，陷入增長(zhǎng)停滯的歐洲國(guó)家應(yīng)當(dāng)向這盞明燈學(xué)習(xí)。

測(cè)試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識(shí)：

transfix [træns'f?ks; trɑ?ns-; -nz-] 盯住、刺住、目不轉(zhuǎn)睛

Celtic [['kelt?k]] 凱爾特人，蘇格蘭人與愛(ài)爾蘭人都屬于凱爾特人

heady ['hed?] 興奮的，使人頭暈的

bicker['b?k?] 爭(zhēng)吵

swingeing ['sw?n(d)???] 激烈的

Ireland shows struggling Europe the way ahead（614 words）

The world has watched transfixed as Scotland wrestled with its destiny. But now that its future is settled, it is Scotland's Celtic neighbour Ireland that should be drawing attention.

It was revealed last week that Ireland enjoyed astonishing growth in the second quarter. At an annualised rate of 7.7 per cent, this is a pace unseen since the heady days of the early 2000s. After becoming the first country to exit its EU bailout, it is now forecast to continue growing strongly. As countries such as France and Italy stagnate, while bickering about long overdue reforms, they should take note of exactly how the Irish have done this.

In some ways Ireland has been fortunate. Its two biggest trading partners, the US and Britain, are both growing strongly. Its low bond yields owe more to the decisive actions of Mario Draghi, European Central Bank president, than to any decisions made in Dublin.

But this is not just the luck of the Irish. For seven years its government and long-suffering people have taken the toughest of choices. The costs of a bloated public sector were reduced with swingeing wage cuts and slashing the payroll. Private sector wages have fallen by more than 2 per cent annually in the past four years, restoring competitiveness to industry. Above all, the government recognised the serious risk played by its shattered banking system and took steps to rebuild it. Through its “bad bank”, the National Asset Management Agency, it made banks come clean about their losses. By forcibly swapping toxic assets for safer government debt, it cleared the way for lending to start again.

These early glimmers of optimism should not be mistaken for a return to the carefree days of easy growth. Ireland is not yet out of the woods. At about 120 per cent of gross domestic product, its public debt is set to remain at dangerous levels for many years. Private debt is even worse; despite the work of Nama, more than 10 per cent of bank loans are classified as non-performing. Ireland still has to fix an unbalanced housing market, where empty “ghost estates” coexist with a serious shortage of property in Dublin.

The hangover from years of heedless expansion has left Ireland with no choice but to seek growth in other ways rather than starting the party all over again. Whereas before the crisis personal consumption grew at more than 6 per cent a year, it will now play little role in driving the economy. Continual pay cuts and double-digit unemployment have left the shell-shocked Irish shopper unwilling to spend.

Instead, Ireland must rely on exports and on attracting overseas investment. Wage restraint has restored competitiveness, which alongside a flexible English-speaking labour force, make it a choice destination for multinational companies such as Pfizer, Dell and Apple. As a result, Ireland has a healthy current account surplus and investment growth of 15 per cent per year.

The European economy remains in a depressed state. For struggling eurozone nations it must be tempting to place their hopes in more effective action at an EU level. But recent efforts to pep up demand look insufficient. And for small, open economies such as Ireland external conditions are far less important than steps taken at home.

These are early days for Ireland's recovery. Few countries soared as high or crashed as hard. It remains a long way from its previous peak. Yet it provides growing evidence of how countries that shape up after a crisis can recover strongly despite an unfavourable international outlook. Others should learn from its example.

請(qǐng)根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測(cè)題目：

1.Ireland's economic performance is impressive especially because it_____.

A.reached 7.7% of annual growth after the crisis

B.helped its biggest trading partners UK and US grow strongly

C.was the first country to exit EU bailout

D.dealt with housing market bubble successfully

答案(1)

2.What did Irish government do to deal with banking problems?

A.They used government debt to wipe out bad assets.

B.They reduced banking salaries by 2% a year.

C.They nationalized all the private banks.

答案(2)

3.“…left Ireland with no choice but to seek growth in other ways rather than starting the party all over again.”

What does the highlighted phrase mean?

A.Literally: holding parties again.

B.Starting high consumption-driven growth again.

C.Maintaining extravagant public spending and welfare.

答案(3)

* * *

(1)答案：C.was the first country to exit EU bailout

解釋：7.7%是今年二季度的年化增長(zhǎng)率，而英美兩國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的強(qiáng)勁是愛(ài)爾蘭的有利外部環(huán)境。愛(ài)爾蘭第一個(gè)走出歐盟的援助計(jì)劃，而其他南歐國(guó)家實(shí)現(xiàn)增長(zhǎng)還遙遙無(wú)期，這是它了不起的地方。

(2)答案：A.They used government debt to wipe out bad assets.

解釋：愛(ài)爾蘭政府強(qiáng)行把銀行的有毒債務(wù)轉(zhuǎn)化為國(guó)債，并直接接管了部分銀行，以便讓銀行重新開(kāi)始放貸。

(3)答案：B.Starting high consumption-driven growth again.

解釋：這一句緊接著講的是過(guò)快的消費(fèi)增長(zhǎng)曾經(jīng)讓愛(ài)爾蘭經(jīng)濟(jì)摔得很慘（以消費(fèi)者債務(wù)和房產(chǎn)泡沫為表現(xiàn)）。現(xiàn)在消費(fèi)者變得非常謹(jǐn)慎。因此愛(ài)爾蘭在尋求其他的增長(zhǎng)動(dòng)力，如出口和吸引外資。

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