英语翻译＋英语口译 -  2008年10月9日经济报道－信用危机扩散到全球银行

ECONOMICS REPORT - The Credit Crisis Spreads to Banks Around the World
Thu, 9 Oct 2008
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
经济报道－信用危机扩散到全球银行。
2008年10月9日，星期四。
这是VOA特别英语的经济报道。
This week, economic worries turned from inflation. On Wednesday, central banks in nations around the world acted together to lower interest rates. The fear is that a lack of credit and falling demand could cause a deep, worldwide recession.
本周，经济忧虑不再是通胀。周三，全球的央行统一行动，降低利率。其担忧是信用缺失以及需求下降可导致更深的全球衰退。
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the world is facing its most dangerous economic crisis since the nineteen thirties.
IMF（国际货币基金）发布警告说，全球面临1930年代以来最危险的经济危机。
To fight slowing economic growth, the United States Federal Reserve cut its federal funds rate to one and one half percent. That is the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans. The European Central Bank also announced an interest rate cut. So did central banks in Britain, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland. Australia and China also cut interest rates.
为了应对放慢的经济增长，美联储将其联邦基金利率下降到1.5%。该利率是银行间隔夜贷款的利率。欧洲央行也宣布下调利率，英国、加拿大、瑞典和瑞士央行也下调利率。澳大利亚和中国也降低利率。
The action marked the first time that the Federal Reserve has joined with other central banks to cut interest rates.
这一行动标志着美联储第一次加入其它央行下调利率。
Tuesday, the Fed said it will make short-term loans by purchasing what is called commercial paper. Such loans usually come from pools, or collections, of investment money. The goal is to provide financial help to all companies that need short-term loans to operate. Earlier, the central bank announced loans to banks of up to nine hundred billion dollars.
周二，美联储说将通过购买商业票据进行短期贷款。此类贷款通常来自于投资汇成的资金。其目的是向因运营需要短期贷款的所有公司提供金融帮助。此前，美联储宣布向银行放款（最高可达）9000亿美元。
European countries are also taking steps to deal with the crisis. The Economist magazine reports that European banks have borrowed more against their bank deposits than American banks have. This puts them at greater risk when there are low levels of activity in credit markets.
欧洲国家也在采取措施，以应对危机。《经济学家》杂志报道，欧洲的银行借款超过他们的存款，这超过了美国的银行。当信贷市场不活跃时，这一措施使他们的风险更大。
Iceland is an example. Its banks borrowed many times the amount of money they held in deposits. In recent weeks, Iceland has had to seize three major banks. The nation has asked for a loan of more than five billion dollars from Russia to avoid a collapse of its financial system.
冰岛是一实例。冰岛的银行借款是其存款的许多倍。最近几周，冰岛不得不接管三家主要银行。冰岛要求从俄罗斯贷款50亿美元以上，以避免冰岛金融系统的崩溃。
Other countries have taken steps to keep people from withdrawing money from banks. Ireland, Germany and Britain increased the limit of bank deposits guaranteed by their governments.
其它国家已采取措施，以避免民众挤兑银行。冰岛、德国和英国提高由政府担保的银行存款限额。
And, the British government has announced a rescue plan similar to the one passed by the United States Congress. Britain will make eighty-seven billion dollars available to eight major banks. It will also provide hundreds of billions of dollars in loans and guarantees to the banking system.
另外，英国政府还宣布一项类似于美国国会通过的救助计划。英国将准备870亿美元，供八家主要银行之用；并且也将为银行系统提供数千亿美元的借款与担保。
And, that is the VOA Special English ECONOMICS REPORT, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.
这是由Mario Ritter编写的VOA特别英语的经济报道，我是Steve Ember。