俄罗斯经济下滑幅度超过预期一托福阅读机经背景.docxVIP

智课网TOEFL备考资料俄罗斯经济下滑幅度超过预期一托福阅读机经背景 By Peter Fedynsky Moscow 25 May 2009 President Dmitri Medvedev says Russias economy is declining more than expected, resulting in the countrys first federal budget deficit in ten years. Mr. Medvedev is also warning the government not to plan on higher prices for oil and other Russian natural resources. Mr. Medvedev told a meeting of government ministers in Moscow the global economic crisis has caused a sharp decline in Russian federal revenues. The Kremlin leader says expenditures will exceed revenues for the first time in ten years, creating a budget deficit of no less than seven percent of the countrys gross domestic product. He notes that is an optimistic figure. Economic figures recently released by the Russian Federal Statistics Service show the GDP declined in the first quarter of this year by 9.5 percent. The Economic Development Ministry had initially predicted a 2.2 percent drop. The Russian national budget relies heavily on taxes from the sale of oil and other natural resources, and oil prices have dropped sharply over the past year. Mr. Medvedev says the governments economic planning should not necessarily count on a return to higher prices. The Russian president says budget plans should be based on conservative estimates of future prices for raw materials. He notes prices could, of course, be higher, which would be better for Russia, but warns the government does not have the right to risk the budget on the possibility. Unemployment in Russia hit 10.2 percent at the end of April, and industrial production fell nearly 17 percent. 俄罗斯经济下滑幅度超过预期 俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫说，俄罗斯经济下滑的程度超出预期，导致联邦预算出现赤字，这是过去十年来的头一次。梅德韦杰夫还警告说，政府在制定预算时不应期待石油和其他自然资源价格会大幅回升。 梅德韦杰夫总统在莫斯科举行的一个政府部长会议上指出，全球经济危机造成俄罗斯联邦政府的收入急剧减少。 他说，十年来头一次政府开支将超过收入，由此造成的预算赤字不少于国内生产总值的7%。而这还是一个乐观的数据。 俄罗斯联邦统计局最近公布的经济数据显示，国内生产总值在今年第一季度下降了9.5%。经济发展部先前曾经预测GDP的下降幅度是2.2%。 俄罗斯的国家预算严重依赖石油和其他自然资源销售的税收，可是过去一年来石油价格却大幅下跌。梅德韦杰夫表示，政府在制定经济计划时不能指望价格回升。