German Industry Predicts Slower Growth
德國工業預計增長將放緩
Introduction
A group called the BDI says the German economy will grow only 0.4% this year.
一個名為 BDI 的團體表示，德國經濟今年僅將增長 0.4%。
Main Body
The BDI first thought growth would be 1%. Now it is lower. War in Iran makes energy expensive. This makes it hard to move goods.
BDI 最初認為增長將會是 1%。現在則降低了。伊朗戰爭導致能源價格昂貴，使得貨物運輸變得困難。
The US and Iran want to stop the war in 60 days. But the BDI says the economy is still in trouble. Only government spending helps right now.
美國與伊朗希望在 60 天內停戰。但 BDI 表示經濟仍處於困境。目前僅有政府支出能提供幫助。
Companies in Germany have problems. Taxes are too high. Workers cost too much money. There is too much paperwork.
德國的公司面臨問題。稅收過高，勞動力成本太貴，且文書作業過多。
The BDI wants the government to change the rules. They want lower taxes and faster work. This will help companies grow again.
BDI 希望政府修改規則。他們希望降低稅率並加快工作效率，這將有助於公司重新成長。
Conclusion
War and high costs make it hard for German industry to grow.
戰爭與高成本使得德國工業難以增長。
Vocabulary Learning
The 'Too Much' Pattern
In this text, we see a very useful way to describe problems using too + adjective.
- Taxes are too high. (Price is more than we want) Too high
- Workers cost too much money. (Cost is more than we can pay) Too much
- There is too much paperwork. (Amount of paper is more than we need) Too much
Quick Rule:
- Use too + [word like high, small, cold] for a quality.
- Use too much + [thing/noun] for a quantity.
Example from the text: High is a quality too high. Money/Paperwork are things too much.