英式新闻英语第 72 课：Euro Ready to Launch 欧元即将面世

In just 40 days time, the most visible symbol of European unity yet devised will become a daily reality for millions. 再过四十天，作为一个整体的欧洲，其迄今为止最引人注目的象征就会成为数以百万计民众日常生活的一部分。

The euro will replace the currencies of most European Union countries, although not Britain, Denmark or Sweden, and the convene consigning the Franc, the Deutsch Mark, the Lira and a host of others to history. Here's our business correspondent Jenny Scott. 除英国、丹麦、瑞典外，欧元将代替大部分欧盟国家的货币，法郎、德国马克、里拉和其它国家的货币将载入史册。请看我台的财经记者珍妮·司哥特的报道。

In 40 days time, shoppers in this Amsterdam market will be using a brand new currency. And here they are, stacked up in a vast warehouse just north of Amsterdam. There is 450 million pounds worth of euro coins in these boxes waiting to be distributed, and that's just for the Netherlands. 四十天后，在这个阿姆斯特丹市场购物的顾客将会使用一种全新的货币。阿姆斯特丹北面这个巨大的仓库里堆满了这种新货币，这些箱子里面装着价值四亿五千万英镑的欧元硬币，正等着被运送出去，而这只是在荷兰的欧元而已。

Eleven other countries across Europe are facing the same awesome task. There are enough euro coins in this set of boxes alone to pay off the average British mortgage twice over. 横跨欧洲的另外十一个国家都同样面临着这个令人生畏的工作。准确地说，仅仅是在这几个箱子里装的欧元硬币就足够支付英国人的平均抵押借款两次的了。

By January the 1st , they plus the 2.5 billion other coins in this warehouse will be in the Netherlands bars, shops and restaurants, forming part of the world's newest and one of its largest currencies. 而这几箱硬币加上这个仓库里的另外二十五亿个欧元硬币，必须在明年一月一日前运往荷兰的酒吧、商店和餐馆，欧元将成为世界上最新，而且流通范围最广的货币之一。

And this is how they're get there. Hundreds of armored Brinks trucks, almost double the usual fleet, are transporting euro notes and coins around the Netherlands. It's a dangerous business. Never before in Europe has so much money been moved around the continent amid so much publicity. 这些欧元就是这样运送的。布林克斯公司出动了几乎比平常多一倍、装有钢板的运钞车，这支有数百辆车的车队把欧元钞票和硬币运往荷兰各地。这是一笔很危险的生意。在历史上，从来没有这么多钱在众目睽睽之下，在欧洲大陆移动。

Joop Van Werkhoven (Managing Director, Brinks Netherlands):
We are very worried that there will be a severe attack somewhere in euro lands, and the professional crimes will go for the high volumes and not the coins but the bank notes. 尤普·冯·沃克胡文（布林克斯荷兰公司总经理）：我们很担心在欧元区会有人对运钞车进行暴烈袭击，而职业罪犯通常看重的是量，因此目标会是纸币而不是硬币。

If there is a successful attack on these vans, it opens up a whole new danger, counterfeiting. Euros will be unfamiliar. It won't be easy to recognize the genuine from the fake. Intelligence services are already on the trail of counterfeiters. 如果对这些运钞车袭击成功的话，那就有了一种新的危险——假币。大众对欧元很不熟悉，因此要辨别真假并不是一件容易的事情。情报部门已经对造假币者进行跟踪监视。

Dr. Willy Bruggeman (Deputy Director, Europol):
Some criminal groups, very professional groups, counterfeiting nowadays, Italian Lira or Deutsche Mark, are getting some interest to try to counterfeit Europe currency too. And some of these groups are under surveillance for the moment. 威利·布鲁格曼博士（欧洲政策办公室副主任）：目前在伪造意大利里拉或者德国马克的一些非常专业的犯罪集团也把他们的兴趣转到欧元上。其中的一些犯罪集团正处于我们的监视之下。

In fact, security is so tight the Dutch would only see their new bank notes for the first time when they go to a cash machine on January the first. The system will be under huge pressure, but at the Central Bank, the director in charge of the changeover is confident it will cope. 事实上，在欧元方面的保安工作如此严密，以至于荷兰人只有在明年的一月一日在自动提款机取钱时, 才能首次见到欧元纸钞。届时，银行必须承受巨大的压力，但荷兰中央银行负责这次欧元转换的行长对转换成功充满信心。

Henny Van Der Wielen (De Nederlandsche Bank):
We have worked for quite a long time. Because of these older parties that we're have to play an important role in this institution, and I know that we have built this scenario on a consensus, and I know that no one wants to be the weakest link. 亨宁·冯·德·威兰（荷兰银行） :我们为此准备了很长时间。作为欧盟中的老成员，我们必须在欧盟中扮演重要的角色，我明白这件事是在各成员国取得一致意见的基础上进行的，我知道谁都不想成为最薄弱的一环。

No country will want to be either. Eleven other nations will be hoping for a smooth transition to the single currency. It's taken years of arguments and planning for the euro to get this far, and still there is one last obstacle before it comes into everyday use. 没有哪个国家想成为最薄弱的一环。除荷兰外的其它十一个国家也都希望迈向欧洲单一货币的转换过程能够进行顺利。在此之前，欧元经历了数年的争议和准备工作后才走到今天这一步，在它成为大家日常生活的一部分之前，还有最后一个障碍:

It's got to be delivered across twelve countries in a matter of weeks. It's a huge task, and if anything goes wrong, it could undermine confidence in the whole currency. 就是在几个星期内，欧元必须在欧元区的十二个国家里运送。这是一项庞大的工程，如果有任何差错，就会产生对欧元的信任危机。