希臘的巨額財(cái)政赤字和債務(wù)危機(jī)愈演愈烈，總理帕潘德里歐日前在歐盟四處奔走，試圖向西歐各富國(guó)借錢(qián)。德國(guó)小報(bào)卻趁勢(shì)發(fā)表了一篇寫(xiě)給希臘總理的信。信中字字珠璣、嘲諷意味強(qiáng)烈，稱如果希臘民眾能像德國(guó)人一樣每日早起、勤勞工作，也許他們也就不會(huì)落得如此下場(chǎng)……

Germans tell Greeks to rise earlier and work harder to avoid financial crisis

德國(guó)人告訴希臘人：早早起床，努力工作，以此避免債務(wù)危機(jī)

On Thursday, two German politicians told their Greek counterparts that the country should sell off its assets - art, historic buildings and islands - before accepting international aid.

上周四，兩位德國(guó)政治家建議他們的希臘伙伴在接受國(guó)際援助以前，應(yīng)該先出售本國(guó)資產(chǎn)，包括藝術(shù)品、歷史建筑和島嶼。

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, was dispatched abroad, to seek the help of European leaders including Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, in addressing the country's mounting debt.

希臘總理喬治帕潘德里歐目前奔走于歐洲各國(guó)，以企圖從包括德國(guó)總理安格拉·默克爾在內(nèi)的各歐洲領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人那里求得幫助。

But Germany's Bild tabloid had another suggestion, calling on Greek citizens to adopt a more Germanic work ethic in an open letter to Mr Papandreou.

而德國(guó)小報(bào)Bild卻另有一番建議，他們發(fā)表了給希臘總理的公開(kāi)信，建議希臘公民學(xué)習(xí)德國(guó)式的工作方法。

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

親愛(ài)的總理先生：

If you read this print, you've entered a country completely different from yours. You're in Germany.

如果你讀到這封信，表明你已經(jīng)身在一個(gè)和你自己的國(guó)家完全不同的地方。你在德國(guó)。

* Here, people work until they are 67. There is no longer a 14-month salary for civil servants.

在這里，人們一直工作到67歲。政府公務(wù)員也沒(méi)有14個(gè)月的工資。

* Here, nobody needs to pay a €1,000 bribe to get a hospital bed in time.

在這里，沒(méi)有人會(huì)花1000歐元受賄以獲得一個(gè)醫(yī)院的床位。

* And we don't pay pensions for the General's daughters who sadly can't find husbands.

我們也不會(huì)給總理找不到丈夫的女兒付撫恤金。

* In this country, the petrol stations have cash registers, the taxi drivers give receipts and farmers don't swindle EU subsidies with millions of olive trees that don't exist.

在這個(gè)國(guó)家，加油站里有收銀機(jī)、出租司機(jī)會(huì)給發(fā)票，農(nóng)民不會(huì)謊稱有百萬(wàn)株橄欖樹(shù)以騙取歐盟補(bǔ)貼。

Germany also has high debts - but we can meet them.

德國(guó)同樣有大量債務(wù)——但我們直面它們。

* That's because we get up reasonably early and work all day. Because in good times we always spare a thought for the bad times. Because we have good firms whose products are in demand around the world.

那是因?yàn)?，我們每天早起、整天工作。因?yàn)樵诮?jīng)濟(jì)情況好的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)多考慮一下經(jīng)濟(jì)不好的時(shí)候。因?yàn)槲覀冇袃?yōu)秀的公司，生產(chǎn)全世界都需要的產(chǎn)品。

Dear Mr Prime Minister, today you are in the country that sends umpteen-thousand of tourists and money aplenty to Greece.

親愛(ài)的總理先生，今天你所在的國(guó)家已經(jīng)向你的國(guó)家輸送了數(shù)以千計(jì)的游客和金錢(qián)。

We want to be friends with the Greeks. That's why since joining the euro, Germany has given your country €50bn.

我們也想成為希臘的朋友。這就是為什么自希臘加入歐盟以后，德國(guó)已經(jīng)給了你的國(guó)家500億歐元的原因！

For this reason, we are writing to you,

也因?yàn)檫@個(gè)原因，我們才寫(xiě)信給你。

Yours,

你的，

Bild Editorial

Bild編輯

PS In case you want to write back, we have enclosed a stamped addressed envelope. Of course, we want to help you to save...

另，考慮到你可能要回信，我們隨信附上一張貼有郵票的回郵信封。當(dāng)然，我們也是為了幫你節(jié)省……

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春暖花開(kāi) 我們一起從頭學(xué)英語(yǔ)吧！