VOA慢速英语听力 ECONOMICS REPORT（WORD文本）：0423A.doc

1、高考资源网（） 您身边的高考专家标题：voa慢速英语:火山灰导致停航造成重大损失对应音频：0423a.mp3听力内容：Adding Up the Costs of Lost Travel in EuropeThis is the VOA Special English Economics Report.Air traffic over much of Europe came to a halt for six days because of the huge cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland. Now the economic costs are s

2、till being counted as airlines try to get everyone to where they were going.At its worst, the crisis affected nearly a third of world air travel. About one hundred thousand flights were cancelled or delayed.The International Air Transport Association estimated the cost to airlines at nearly two bill

3、ion dollars.But that does not include costs like the tons of flowers that growers in Kenya and Israel had to destroy. Or all the fruits and vegetables that could also not be flown to Europe.Other businesses that depend on air travel, including hotels and vacation places, also suffered. The crisis af

4、fected airports from Washington to Pakistan.The crisis came just as Europe is trying to recover from its worst recession in generations. Greece - a popular travel place - continues to face a debt crisis that has sharply raised its borrowing costs.The United States halted air travel for three days af

5、ter the terrorist attacks in two thousand one. The travel ban this past week lasted twice as long in some European countries.Critics accused European air transport officials of being slow to react, then overreacting to the possible risk to airplanes. And there could be more delays as the Eyjafjallaj

6、okull volcano continues to release ash.Last weeks eruption cost time and money for travelers. Hundreds of thousands were stuck. Some had no place to stay except the airport. Others tried to make their way by train, bus, boat or car.Vacationers have had to change or cancel plans. And not all business

7、es have been sympathetic.An American stuck in London, already one of the worlds highest priced cities, found that her hotel had doubled its prices. Some embassies offered emergency loans to their citizens.Passengers delayed on European airlines may be able to get back at least some of the money they

8、 had to spend.The crisis brought new attention to the billion-dollar market for travel insurance. About thirty percent of Americans buy policies to cover unexpected problems when they travel. Some credit cards offer a form of insurance and could also face claims.The volcanic eruption was the second

9、time in two years that Iceland has shaken its neighbors to the east. The first time was the near-collapse of Icelands banks and currency during the world financial crisis.And thats the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Im Steve Ember.这里是VOA特别英语经济报道。由于冰岛火山喷发形成的火山灰层，欧洲大部分地

10、区的航空运输已经停止了六天。现在，随着航空公司尽可能地将每位乘客送往目的地，经济损失仍在进一步计算中。情况最糟糕的时候，这场危机影响了世界几乎三分之一的航空运输。大约10万次航班被取消或延误。国际航空运输协会估计，航空公司的损失将高达20亿美元。但是这还不包括肯尼亚和以色列种植者种植的数吨花朵的损失，以及未能如期运往欧洲的所有水果和蔬菜的损失。依赖航空运输的其他行业，包括旅馆和度假景点在内，也遭受了损失。这场危机影响了从华盛顿到巴基斯坦的机场。这场危机发生时，欧洲正在试图从几十年来最严重的衰退中复苏。非常受欢迎的旅游目的地，希腊仍然面临着债务危机的影响，这使他们的借贷成本急剧上升。2001年恐

11、怖主义袭击之后，美国暂停航空运输三天的时间。而过去一周欧洲一些国家航空禁令的持续时间则是上次的两倍。一些批评家指控欧洲运输官员未及时作出反应，后来又过分的评估了对飞机造成的可能危险。由于艾雅法拉(Eyjafjallajokull)火山继续释放出火山灰，还会有更多的航班延误。上周的火山喷发为旅行者带来时间和金钱方面的双重损失。数十万旅客被困。其中一些旅客除了机场之外别无去处。其他人则试图选择火车，公共汽车，船只或小汽车出行。休假者被迫更改或取消计划。而并不是所有的行业都那么具有同情心。伦敦已经是世界上物价最高的城市之一，一名被困伦敦的美国人却发现这里的酒店将房价翻倍。一些大使馆为本国公民提供了紧急贷款。在欧洲航线被困的乘客可以拿回至少一部分自己支出的费用。这场危机引起人们对价值高达数十亿美元的旅行保险行业的关注。大约30%的美国人购买保险以防旅行中出现意外。一些信用卡也提供一种保险，也可以进行索赔。这次火山喷发是两年来冰岛第二次影响东部邻国。第一次是在世界金融危机期间，冰岛银行和货币濒临崩溃。高考资源网版权所有，侵权必究！