希腊的巨额财政赤字和债务危机愈演愈烈，总理帕潘德里欧日前在欧盟四处奔走，试图向西欧各富国借钱。德国小报却趁势发表了一篇写给希腊总理的信。信中字字珠玑、嘲讽意味强烈，称如果希腊民众能像德国人一样每日早起、勤劳工作，也许他们也就不会落得如此下场……
Germans tell Greeks to rise earlier and work harder to avoid financial crisis德国人告诉希腊人：早早起床，努力工作，以此避免债务危机
On Thursday, two German politicians told their Greek counterparts that the country should sell off its assets - art, historic buildings and islands - before accepting international aid.
上周四，两位德国政治家建议他们的希腊伙伴在接受国际援助以前，应该先出售本国资产，包括艺术品、历史建筑和岛屿。
George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, was dispatched abroad, to seek the help of European leaders including Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, in addressing the country's mounting debt.
希腊总理乔治帕潘德里欧目前奔走于欧洲各国，以企图从包括德国总理安格拉·默克尔在内的各欧洲领导人那里求得帮助。
But Germany's Bild tabloid had another suggestion, calling on Greek citizens to adopt a more Germanic work ethic in an open letter to Mr Papandreou.
而德国小报Bild却另有一番建议，他们发表了给希腊总理的公开信，建议希腊公民学习德国式的工作方法。
Dear Mr Prime Minister,
亲爱的总理先生：
If you read this print, you've entered a country completely different from yours. You're in Germany.
如果你读到这封信，表明你已经身在一个和你自己的国家完全不同的地方。你在德国。
* Here, people work until they are 67. There is no longer a 14-month salary for civil servants.
在这里，人们一直工作到67岁。政府公务员也没有14个月的工资。
* Here, nobody needs to pay a €1,000 bribe to get a hospital bed in time.
在这里，没有人会花1000欧元受贿以获得一个医院的床位。
* And we don't pay pensions for the General's daughters who sadly can't find husbands.
我们也不会给总理找不到丈夫的女儿付抚恤金。
* In this country, the petrol stations have cash registers, the taxi drivers give receipts and farmers don't swindle EU subsidies with millions of olive trees that don't exist.
在这个国家，加油站里有收银机、出租司机会给发票，农民不会谎称有百万株橄榄树以骗取欧盟补贴。
Germany also has high debts - but we can meet them.
德国同样有大量债务——但我们直面它们。
* That's because we get up reasonably early and work all day. Because in good times we always spare a thought for the bad times. Because we have good firms whose products are in demand around the world.
那是因为，我们每天早起、整天工作。因为在经济情况好的时候，我们会多考虑一下经济不好的时候。因为我们有优秀的公司，生产全世界都需要的产品。
Dear Mr Prime Minister, today you are in the country that sends umpteen-thousand of tourists and money aplenty to Greece.
亲爱的总理先生，今天你所在的国家已经向你的国家输送了数以千计的游客和金钱。
We want to be friends with the Greeks. That's why since joining the euro, Germany has given your country €50bn.
我们也想成为希腊的朋友。这就是为什么自希腊加入欧盟以后，德国已经给了你的国家500亿欧元的原因！
For this reason, we are writing to you,
也因为这个原因，我们才写信给你。
Yours,
你的，
Bild Editorial
Bild编辑
PS In case you want to write back, we have enclosed a stamped addressed envelope. Of course, we want to help you to save...
另，考虑到你可能要回信，我们随信附上一张贴有邮票的回邮信封。当然，我们也是为了帮你节省……
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春暖花开 我们一起从头学英语吧！ |
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