1 Plumper

　　How does the country’s economy compare with those of the EU?

　　SOME of the concerns surrounding Turkey’s application to join the European Union, to be voted on by the EU’s Council of Ministers on December 17th, are economic-in particular, the country’s relative poverty. Its GDP per head is less than a third of the average for the 15 pre-2004 members of the EU. But it is not far off that of one of the ten new members which joined on May 1st 2004 (Latvia), and it is much the same as those of two countries, Bulgaria and Romania, which this week concluded accession talks with the EU that could make them full members on January 1st 2007.

　　Furthermore, the country’s recent economic progress has been, according to Donald Johnston, the secretary-general of the OECD, "stunning¹". GDP in the second quarter of the year was 13.4% higher than a year earlier, a rate of growth that no EU country comes close to matching. Turkey’s inflation rate has just fallen into single figures for the first time since 1972, and this week the country reached agreement with the IMF on a new three-year, $10 billion economic programme that will, according to the IMF’s managing director, Rodrigo Rato, "help Turkey... reduce inflation toward European levels, and enhance the economy’s resilience".

　　Resilience has not historically been the country’s economic strong point. As recently as 2001, GDP fell by over 7%. It fell by more than 5% in 1994, and by just under 5% in 1999. Indeed, throughout the 1990s growth oscillated like an electrocardiogram recording² a violent heart attack. This irregularity has been one of the main reasons (along with red tape and corruption) why the country has failed dismally³ to attract much-needed foreign direct investment. Its stock of such investment (as a percentage of GDP) is lower now than it was in the 1980s, and annual inflows have scarcely ever reached $1 billion (whereas Ireland attracted over $25 billion in 2003, as did Brazil in every year from 1998 to 2000).

　　One deterrent⁴ to foreign investors⁵ is due to disappear on January 1st 2005. On that day, Turkey will take away the right of virtually every one of its citizens to call themselves a millionaire. Six noughts⁷ will be removed from the face value of the lira; one unit of the local currency will henceforth be worth what 1m are now-ie, about €0.53 ($0.70). Goods will have to be priced in both the new and old lira for the whole of the year, but foreign bankers and investors can begin to look forward to a time in Turkey when they will no longer have to juggle⁸ mentally with indeterminate strings⁹ of zeros.

　　--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　Economist¹⁰; 12/18/2004, Vol. 373 Issue 8406, p115-115, 2/5p

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist；12/18/2004, p115-115, 2/5p；

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿2004年真题text 1第1题和第3题(1，3)，2001年真题text 1第2题(2)，1999年真题text 2第2题(4)和2002年真题text 3第4题(5)；

　　1.What is Turkey’s economic situation now?

　　[A] Its GDP per head is far lagging behind that of the EU members.

　　[B] Its inflation rate is still rising.

　　[C] Its economy grows faster than any EU member.

　　[D] Its economic resilience is very strong.

　　2.We can infer from the second paragraph that__________.

　　[A] Turkey will soon catch the average GDP level of the 15 pre-2004 EU members

　　[B] inflation rate in Turkey used to be very high

　　[C] Turkey’s economy will keep growing at present rate

　　[D] IMF’s economic program will help Turkey join the EU

　　3.The word “oscillated” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) most probably means_________.

　　[A] fell

　　[B] climbed

　　[C] developed

　　[D] swang

　　4.Speaking of Turkey’s foreign direct investment, the author implies that_________.

　　[A] it’s stock is far less than that of other countries

　　[B] it does not have much influence on Turkey’s economic progress

　　[C] steady GDP growth will help Turkey attract more foreign direct investment

　　[D] Turkey’s economic resilience relies on foreign direct investment

　　5.We can draw a conclusion from the text that__________.

　　[A] foreign investment environment in Turkey will become better

　　[B] Turkey’s citizens will suffer heavy loss due to the change of the face value of the lira

　　[C] the local currency will depreciate¹¹ with the removal of six noughts from the face value

　　[D] prices of goods will go up

　　答案：C B D C A

　　篇章剖析

　　本篇文章是一篇说明文，介绍了土耳其的经济状况。第一段将土耳其的经济情况和其他几个欧盟新成员国的经济情况进行了一下对比，说明土耳其的经济状况并非如人们担心的那样糟糕；第二段对土耳其这几年的经济增长情况进行了简要介绍；第三段说明土耳其的经济缺乏弹性以及由此带来的影响；最后一段说明妨碍投资者的一个因素即将消失。

　　词汇注释

　　GDP: 国内生产总值(gross domestic product)

　　accession: [Ak5seFEn] n. 添加, 增加

　　OECD: 经合，经济合作与发展组织 (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development)

　　resilience: [rI5zIlIEns] n. 弹回, 有弹力, 恢复力,

　　oscillate: [5Csileit]v. 振荡

　　electrocardiogram: [IlektrEJ5kB:dIEJ^rAm] n. .[医]心电图, 心动电流图(略作ECG)

　　inflow: [5inflEu] n. 流入, 流入物

　　deterrent: [di5tE:rEnt] n. 阻碍物

　　nought⁶: [nC:t] n. 无, 零

　　lira: [5liErE] n. 里拉

　　juggle: [5dVQ^l] v. (常与with连用)耍杂耍

　　indeterminate: [7indi5tE:minit] adj. 在程度、体积、性质或数量上没有准确确定的

　　难句突破

　　But it is not far off that of one of the ten new members which joined on May 1st 2004 (Latvia), and it is much the same as those of two countries, Bulgaria and Romania, which this week concluded accession talks with the EU that could make them full members on January 1st 2007.

　　主体句式：it is not far off that…and it is much the same as..

　　结构分析：这是一个复杂句，句子主体结构是一个并列句，在第一个并列分句里有一个which引导的定语从句修饰new members，在第二个并列分句里有一个which引导的非限定性定语从句修饰Bulgaria and Romania，还有一个that引导的定语从句，修饰accession talks。

　　句子译文：但是和2004年5月1日加入欧盟的十个新成员国之一(拉脱维亚)相比，土耳其差得并不算太远，而和本周刚刚完成加入欧盟的谈判，并将在2007年1月获得完全成员地位的两个国家，保加利亚和罗马尼亚相比则相差无几。

　　题目分析

　　1. 答案为C，属事实细节题。根据文章第二段，土耳其的经济发展“十分惊人”。接着载第二行，作者以数据说明土耳其本年度第二季度的GDP增长“no EU country comes close to matching”，可见其经济发展速度超过任何欧盟成员。

　　2. 答案为B，属推理判断题。根据文章第二段“土耳其得通货膨胀率自1972年以来首次跌进各位数”可知，以前的通货膨胀率都在两位数甚至更多，是非常高的数字。

　　3. 答案为D，属猜词题。这个词的意思可以根据文中第三段所用的明喻判断出来。文中说，整个1990年代，土耳其的GDP增长就好像“遭受了猛烈的心脏病发作时的心电图一样”，可见GDP增长时高时低，峰谷之间的差异较大，所以oscillated最有可能的意思就是“摆动，震荡”，只有A中的swang意思与之相符。

　　4. 答案为C，属推理判断题。根据文章第三段，GDP的不规律性是导致土耳其难以吸引外国直接投资的主要原因，可见稳定的GDP增长有助于土耳其吸引更多的外国直接投资。

　　5. 答案为A，属推理判断题。文章在第一段和第二段介绍土耳其快速的经济增长。第三段分析了过去不能吸引急需的外国直接投资的主要原因之一：经济发展不规律性。文章最后一段介绍了将取消妨碍外国投资者的一个因素。并在文章最末提到：“外国银行家和投资人现在可以期待今后在土耳其再不用快速心算一串串数不清的零了”。由此可见，土耳其的外国投资环境将变得更好。

　　参考译文

　　土耳其加入欧盟的申请将于12月17日在欧盟部长会议上进行表决，围绕该申请的一些顾虑就是经济问题，尤其是该国的相对贫困问题。其人均GDP还不足2004年之前欧盟15国人均GDP的三分之一。但是和2004年5月1日加入欧盟的十个新成员国之一(拉脱维亚)相比，土耳其差得并不算太远，而和本周刚刚完成加入欧盟的谈判，并将在2007年1月获得完全成员地位的两个国家，保加利亚和罗马尼亚相比则相差无几。

　　不但如此，用经济合作和发展组织秘书长唐纳德·约翰斯顿的话来说，该国最近的经济发展“十分惊人”。本年度第二季度的GDP比去年增长了13.4%，这样的增长速度是任何欧盟成员国都无法匹敌的。土耳其的通货膨胀率最近刚从1972年以来首次跌进各位数，本周该国刚刚同国际货币基金组织达成一项新的为期三年，总额100亿美元的经济项目协议，按照国际货币基金执行总裁罗德里戈·莱托的说法，这一项目将会“帮助土耳其…把通货膨胀率降到欧盟水平，并且增加其经济弹性。”

　　历史上该国经济并没有很强的韧性。近期如2001年，它的GDP下降超过7%。而1994年，下降超过5%，1999年仅比5%略低。的确，在整个1990年代，该国的经济就好像一次猛烈的心脏病发作的心电图记录那样来回摆动。这种不规律性是导致该国很难吸引其急需的外国直接投资的主要原因之一(另外还有繁琐的公事程序和腐败)。现在这类投资总额(作为GDP的一个百分点)比1980年代的时候还要低，而每年的外资流入量很少能够达到10亿美元(爱尔兰仅2003年一年就吸引外资超过250亿美元，而巴西从1998年到2000年每年的外资流入量都达到了这个数字。)

　　从2005年1月1日起，一个妨碍外国投资者的因素将会消失。到那一天，土耳其将取消其公民自称为百万富翁的权利。里拉的面值里将减少六个零；这样，当地货币的每个货币单位将和现在的1百万里拉等值---也就是0.53欧元(0.70美元)左右。商品将在一整年内用新旧里拉同时定价，但外国银行家和投资人现在可以期待今后在土耳其再不用快速心算一串串数不清的零了。

 

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