VOA慢速：2020年印度经济陷入严重衰退

燕山大学 刘立军 供稿

【TRANSCRIPT】

The year 2020 brought India its most serious economic and security issues in many years. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the country into a recession.

India ordered one of the world's most severe lockdowns in March, when it had just a few hundred coronavirus cases. But when the country started opening up, the virus began to spread quickly. By the end of the year, India was the second-worst hit nation, with nearly 10 million COVID-19 cases.

Millions of people lost jobs and hundreds of small businesses closed. But experts warned that the economic problems went deeper than the health crisis.

The first evidence of this came in April when India witnessed a never-before-seen exodus of migrant laborers. Having lost jobs in cities, millions walked hundreds of kilometers to their villages when all transport was halted.

India has been the worst hit among large economies because nearly 90 percent of its workers survive on its informal sector. The economy is expected to fall by nine percent this year, its worst recession in 40 years.

The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy estimated that about 120 million jobs were lost from April to June. Many jobs came back as the government began easing lockdowns to help. But millions of people are still struggling to find work.

Among the jobless are tens of thousands of street sellers whose businesses were destroyed by the pandemic.

Ranga Shalivan restarted his two small roadside food stands in July in the city of Hyderabad. For months, few people bought his food. But he has seen some improvement in recent weeks.

It's a little better now, "but I am still making only about half the money that I used to. It has been very hard," he said.

The government has announced two stimulus bills. But Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told industry leaders it would not be enough to deal with the crisis caused by the pandemic.

Now at the end of the year, there is hope that the worst may be over as India gets control of the health crisis. Numbers of new COVID-19 infections are lessening. And a new vaccine is expected to come within weeks.

Economist Arun Kumar, however, has warned that real progress will be a long-term process for the world's second most populous country.

During the past year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also faced some of his biggest challenges since taking power six years ago. There was widespread protest over a new citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims. In the Indian capital in February, communal riots killed more than 50 people. Then in December, tens of thousands of farmers camped on the edges of New Delhi, angered by new farming laws. They worry the laws will open them to corporate abuse.

Experts say while the pandemic tested nations worldwide, India's challenges could make the road to recovery longer and harder.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/202101/622981.shtml

【VOCABULARY】

1. recession n. a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed 经济衰退；经济萎缩。例如：The economy is in deep recession. 经济正处于严重的衰退之中。

2. exodus n. (formal, or humorous) a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time （大批人同时）离开；外出；出去。例如：the mass exodus from Paris to the country in the summer 夏日大批人从巴黎外出到乡村

3. halt v. to stop; to make sb. / sth. stop （使）停止；停下

4. stimulus n. something that helps sb. /sth. to develop better or more quickly 促进因素；激励因素；刺激物。例如：The new tax laws should act as a stimulus to exports. 新税法应该能促进出口。

5. populous adj. (formal) where a large number of people live 人口众多的；人口密集的。例如：one of America's most populous states 美国的人口大州之一

6. riot n. a situation in which a group of people behave in a violent way in a public place, often as a protest 暴乱；骚乱

【QUESTIONS】

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. The year 2020 brought India its most serious economic and security issues in many years.

2. By the end of the year, India was the first-worst hit nation, with nearly 10 million COVID-19 cases.

3. Experts warned that the health problems went deeper than the economic crisis in India.

4. The Indian economy is expected to fall by eight percent this year, its worst recession in 40 years.

5. The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy estimated that about 120 million jobs were lost from April to June.

6. Among the jobless are tens of thousands of street sellers whose businesses were destroyed by the pandemic.

7. The Indian government has announced three stimulus bills.

8. India is the world's third most populous country.

【KEY】

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

(T) 1. The year 2020 brought India its most serious economic and security issues in many years.

(F) 2. By the end of the year, India was the first-worst hit nation, with nearly 10 million COVID-19 cases.

（正确表达）By the end of the year, India was the second-worst hit nation, with nearly 10 million COVID-19 cases.

(F) 3. Experts warned that the health problems went deeper than the economic crisis in India.
（正确表达）Experts warned that the economic problems went deeper than the health crisis in India.

(F) 4. The Indian economy is expected to fall by eight percent this year, its worst recession in 40 years.
（正确表达）The Indian economy is expected to fall by nine percent this year, its worst recession in 40 years.

(T) 5. The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy estimated that about 120 million jobs were lost from April to June.

(T) 6. Among the jobless are tens of thousands of street sellers whose businesses were destroyed by the pandemic.

(F) 7. The Indian government has announced three stimulus bills.
（正确表达）The Indian government has announced two stimulus bills.

(F) 8. India is the world's third most populous country.
（正确表达）India is the world's second most populous country.

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