VOA慢速英语：高通胀迫使阿根廷人做出艰难抉择

Argentina reported a monthly inflation rate of 7.4 percent in the month of July, the highest number in about 20 years.
阿根廷报告称，7月份的月通胀率为7.4%，为约20年来的最高水平。
 
The country's consumer prices have increased 71 percent over the past year, the national statistics agency, called INDEC, said recently.
国家统计局INDEC最近表示，消费者价格在过去一年中上涨了71%。
 
The latest numbers put Argentina among the countries with the highest inflation rates in the world.
这一数据使阿根廷跻身世界上通货膨胀率最高的国家之列。
 
The effects of inflation are clear in Villa Fiorito, around 15 kilometers from downtown Buenos Aires. There, unemployed women gather in the hopes of exchanging goods for food. Such exchanges that do not involve money are known as bartering.
在距离布宜诺斯艾利斯市中心约 15 公里的菲奥里托别墅，通货膨胀的影响更加明显。在那里，失业的妇女聚集在一起，希望用商品换取食物。这种不涉及金钱的交易被称为易货交易。
 
Every afternoon, women set up their blankets and lay out their goods, including clothes and toys. Their hope is to exchange the goods for food to feed their families.
每天下午，妇女们都会铺好毯子，摆好衣服和玩具等物品。他们希望用货物换取食物来养家糊口。
 
The economic problems are likely to get worse before they get better in Argentina. Experts predict that inflation for the whole year will likely reach 90 percent or higher.
阿根廷的经济问题在好转之前可能会变得更糟。专家预测，全年通胀率将可能达到90%或更高。
 
Thirty-one-year-old Soledad Bustos sets up shop in the Villa Fiorito fair every afternoon while one of her children is in school and another is under the care of her sister.
31 岁的 Soledad Bustos 每天下午都会在 Villa Fiorito 集市上摆摊，而她的一个孩子正在上学，另一个则由她姐姐照顾。
 
The money is not enough
钱不够
 
Bustos offers clothing like jeans, leather boots, sneakers and shirts that she either took out of her own home or bought through the social media service Facebook. In exchange, she asks for powdered milk.
Bustos 提供牛仔裤、皮靴、运动鞋和衬衫等服装，这些物品她要么是从自己家中拿来的，要么是通过社交媒体服务Facebook购买的。以此来换些奶粉。
 
"I can't get to the end of the month, the money isn't enough," Bustos, a single mother, said.
“撑不到月底，钱不够用。”单身母亲布斯托斯说。
 
Bustos is unemployed and says she receives around $255 a month from the state. That amount is not enough to feed her family.
Bustos 失业了，她每月能从州政府那里领到大约 255 美元。但这笔钱不足以养活她的家人。
 
Bartering events started spreading in Argentina after the economy collapsed in 2001. But such events have increased in recent years as the inflation rate has remained high.
自2001年经济崩溃后，以物易物事件开始在阿根廷蔓延。但近年来，由于通货膨胀率居高不下，此类事件有所增加。
 
"This is living hand-to-mouth," said María Inés Pereyra, 48, the organizer of the event that runs Mondays through Saturdays. "Whatever they obtain today they take it straight to the dining table."
48岁的玛拉拉·伊内斯·佩雷拉说：“这就是勉强维持生计的生活，”周一至周六举办的活动组织者。“无论他们今天得到什么，都会把它直接带到餐桌上。”
 
For safety reasons, only women can take part in bartering. Most of the exchanges have already been previously arranged on Facebook or WhatsApp.
出于安全原因，只有女性可以参加易货交易。大部分交流都在 Facebook 或 WhatsApp 上进行。
 
Although there is no set value for the used goods, Pereyra set a top price of $2 for each piece of clothing.
虽然二手商品没有设定价值，但 Pereyra 为每件衣服设定了 2 美元的最高价格。
 
As an example, she pointed to a pair of leather sneakers that could be traded for a packet of sugar, cooking oil, flour and a local tea.
例如，她用一双皮运动鞋，可以换取一包糖、食用油、面粉和当地茶。
 
Fernández's administration has blamed the high inflation rate in July on a currency crisis caused by "speculative movements that tried to generate a crisis of uncertainty and push a devaluation," Gabriela Cerruti, the government's spokeswoman, said recently.
政府发言人Gabriela Cerruti最近表示，Fern谩ndez政府将7月份的高通胀率归咎于“试图制造不确定性危机并推动贬值的投机运动”造成的货币危机。
 
Cerruti's statement came before the inflation rate was released.
Cerruti 的声明是在通货膨胀率公布之前发表的。
 
The increase of the country's already high inflation rate comes shortly after the government had three economy ministers within one month.
在一个月内政府任命了三位经济部长之后不久，该国本已很高的通货膨胀率就出现了上升。
 
Experts and members of Fernández's administration expect the August inflation rate to be similar to July. That is because of increases in prices for public transport and energy.
Fern谩ndez 政府的专家和成员预计 8 月的通胀率将与 7 月相似。这是因为公共交通和能源价格上涨。
 
In Villa Fiorito, Bustos said she and her fellow barterers are centering their efforts on "surviving."
在 Villa Fiorito，Bustos 说她和她的易货伙伴们正把精力集中在“生存”上。
 
I'm Jill Robbins.
吉尔·罗宾斯报道。