真是一眨眼又到了周六。好莱坞英语的“来，让VOA主播教您练就地道美式英语”节目又给大家见面了。一周又过去了，不知道大家偷懒没有。让我们一起坚持模仿主播，勇敢脱掉中式英语的帽子，说一口流利地道的美式英语吧。
此视频长4分钟，19.4 Megabytes 。建议在Wifi背景下播放（土豪请随意）。
（文稿见视频下方）
Transcripts :
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report . Today we look back at some of the top stories of twenty-eleven .
In Europe , the debt crisis that started in two thousand ten in Greece and Ireland spread to other countries . Portugal needed a financial rescue , and Italy needed a new prime minister . Silvio Berlusconi lost his job over Italy's debt problems . Former European Union official Mario Monti replaced him in November .
Pressures on Europe's financial system called into question the future of the euro . European finance officials called for greater cooperation and new rules . World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Europe would have to find its own answers to its debt problems . " Europe has to rescue Europe , OK ? And it's very important . If there's any message when I'm asked , 'Well , what can the US do and what can China do ?' The best thing they can do is clean up their act at home , be a source of growth at home . " Mr Zoellick also said it was important for other big economies to deal with their own budget imbalances . " The downgrade of America from tripple A didn't affect the finances today , but it may be one of those events people look back on ten years from now and say , ' Did they get the warning ? "
In August , a credit rating agency cut the United States' credit rating from the highest level , triple A , to double A-plus . Also in August , Steve Jobs stepped down as chief at Apple because of his failing health . He died of cancer in October at the age of fifty-six . He brought the world the iPod , iPhone and iPad , and helped make Apple into one of the world's most valuable companies .
Twenty-eleven will be remembered as a year of protests . Revolutions for political freedom swept North Africa and the Middle East in the Arab Spring . But protests over budge cuts and jobs were heard around the world . In the United States , activists in hundreds of cities protested economic inequality and joblessness . Protesters were angry that banks got rescued with taxpayers' money during the financial crisis nearly four years ago . But many Americans continue to face hardship . Anger over government budge cuts led to protests in Greece , Britain and elsewhere . And in southeastern China , villagers in Wukan rebelled against local officials , they accused of illegally taking land .
For VOA Special English , I'm Alex Villarreal . If your new year's resolution is to learn English , we can help . Find out more at voaspecialenglish.com and on Facebook , Twitter and iTunes at VOA Learning English .
请大家充分利用好每天的零碎时间多多跟读几遍。跟读的时候记住嘴巴张大，发音的时候放慢速度，注意咬舌音（th）和咬下唇音（v）。坚持就一定可以。想想下一次见到前男友或前女友一开口一口纯正的美式英语，直接秒他几条街的快感吧。想想逼格就挺高。哈哈。加油吧，各位骚年。
