6/05/2012

Wood-burning stoves all the rage in austerity Greece 希臘財政緊縮,木炭爐大風行

Once a symbol of poverty, the lowly wood burning stove is making a stonking comeback among cash-strapped Greeks horrified by the soaring costs of central heating as winter begins.

曾經是貧窮象徵、出身卑微的木炭爐現在卻在希臘重新開始流行起來,因為隨著冬天腳步到來,手頭拮据的希臘人都被節節高漲的中央系統暖氣開銷嚇壞了。

Even the wealthiest Greeks are turning to the kind of basic heating methods that most people haven’t used in decades as an economic crisis deepens, taxes rise and temperatures drop.

隨著經濟危機加深,稅金上升和氣溫下降,就連最富有的希臘人都開始改用這種多數人已經幾十年沒用過的最基本暖氣設備。

Costas Mitsionis who sells wood-burning stoves at the central Athens Monastiraki market, rubs his hands with glee as he talks about the doubled demand for his product. His tiny shop is bursting at the seams with stoves in all colours and shapes piled on top of one another almost to the ceiling.

在雅典市中心蒙納斯提拉奇市場販售木炭爐的米西歐尼斯在提到這款商品的需求量加倍時,高興地直搓手。他的小店鋪裡現在擺滿了各種顏色和形狀的木炭爐,這些爐子一層層地幾乎堆疊到天花板那麼高。

"Business is up 100 percent," said Mitsionis, 42, constantly interrupted by phone calls from clients. "Everybody is flocking to buy, poor and rich alike -- this crisis has put the fear of God into everyone."

42歲的米西歐尼斯說:「生意上漲了百分之百,」一面還得不斷接聽客人打來的電話。「大家都跑來搶著買,不管窮人或有錢人都一樣—這場危機讓所有人都開始畏懼上帝。」

In a desperate move to plug its fiscal holes and meet its budget targets under an EU/IMF bailout, the government has hiked energy taxes, driving heating oil costs up to 40 percent higher.(Reuters)

為了填補財政黑洞,並達成歐盟與國際貨幣基金所提出紓困方案規定的預算目標,希臘政府不惜大幅提高能源稅金,導致取暖用油的價格上漲了40%。(取自路透)

新聞辭典

all the rage:指風行一時,如Long hair for men was all the rage in the seventies.(男性留長髮在1970年代曾經蔚為風潮。)

rub (one’s) hands:表現出非常期待或滿意的樣子,如The owner rubbed his hands as the customer picked out item after item.(看著顧客把東西一樣一樣地挑走,店老闆高興得直搓手。)

burst at the seams:片語,形容非常擁擠、超過正常容納量,如When all the family come home the house is bursting at the seams.(當全家族成員都到齊時,這房子恐怕會被擠爆。)亦可形容高興或驕傲得快要爆炸,如He nearly burst at the seams with pride.(他自豪得不得了。)

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