考研英语阅读篇章: 巴西央行将减少储备金促经济增长

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    考研英语阅读篇章: 巴西央行将减少储备金促经济增长
    Brazil's central bank has announced plans to reduce the amount of money
commercial banks keep in reserve, in a bid to boost economic growth.
    巴西央行宣布计划减少各商业银行储备金的数额，以推动经济增长。
    The bank says the measure will free up some $13bn, which banks could lend
to businesses and individuals.
    The Brazilian economy is expected to expand by 1% this year - the fourth
consecutive year of sluggish growth.
    The central bank announcement comes less than three months before
presidential elections.
    President Dilma Rousseff will seek a second four-year term in October.
    In 2010, when she was elected, Brazilian gross domestic product (GDP) grew
by 7.5%.
    Growth dropped to 2.7% in 2011, 1% in 2012 and 2.5% last year.
    'Chinese dependency'
    The government is forecasting 1.8% growth this year, but independent
economists expect the GDP to grow by only 1%.
    "The central bank decided to adopt measures to improve the distribution of
liquidity in the economy," the bank announced.
    The decline in Brazil's fortunes, cutbacks in public services, continuing
corruption and what is seen as excessive spending on the World Cup and the 2016
Olympics have brought protesters out on to the streets over the past year.
    The economy had become over-dependent on exports to China under former
President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, analysts say.
    Exports to China grew at roughly four times the rate of total exports
between 2000 and 2010.
    As Chinese demand fell away, Brazilian growth stuttered, weighed down by
poor infrastructure, high consumer debt and sagging business confidence.