The new monarch1 of Saudi Arabia has handed out billions of pounds to the country's citizens to celebrate his coronation.
日前,沙特阿拉伯的新国王为庆祝登基,向沙特民众发放了上百亿英镑的红包。
King Salman bin2 Abdulaziz Al Saud made the remarkably3 generous gesture, estimated to total almost £21 billion, to mark taking the throne in the oil-rich country.
新国王萨勒曼·本·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹慷慨地向民众发放了总额约为210亿英镑的红包,以纪念成为石油大国的新国王。
In a message on Twitter - that has now been shared more than 350,000 times - the King wrote: 'Dear people: You deserve more and whatever I do will not be able to give you what you deserve.'
萨勒曼在推特上写道:“亲爱的臣民,你们值得获得更多。无论我发多少钞票,都无法匹配你们的价值。”这条推文目前的转发量已超过35万次。
The massive handout4 includes a two-month wage payout for all state employees, as well as soldiers, students and pensioners5.
高达210亿的大红包包括为国家公务员、军人、退休的公务员以及领取政府奖学金深造的学生发放的相当于两个月工资的奖励。
Delighted Saudis are said to be splashing out on new smart phones, luxury watches and exotic holidays to celebrate.
沙特的民众非常开心,纷纷表示要将这些钱用来买新手机、买名牌手表、去海外旅游休假等。
Some men are also reported to be setting aside the money especially to allow them to marry their first, second or third wives.
一些男性表示准备把这笔钱留作娶老婆用,有老婆的就留作娶第二、第三任老婆用。
There will also be generous grants to various professional associations, as well as literary and sports clubs.
另外,一些专业人士协会、文艺经济体育俱乐部还有图书馆等也都可得到拨款奖励。
John Sfakianakis, Middle East director of the Ashmore group, an investment company, told the New York Times: 'It is party time for Saudi Arabia right now.'
安石投资公司的中东部负责人约翰·斯法基安纳基斯说:“对沙特阿拉伯的民众来说,现在是狂欢时间。”
Several private companies have also reportedly followed the King's lead and handed out bonuses to their own employees.
报道称沙特的一些私人企业也效仿新国王的举动,给员工们发放了红包奖励。
King Salman, 79, came to the throne last month after his half-brother Abdullah died aged6 90 after losing his battle with pneumonia7.
上个月同父异母的兄弟—90岁的阿布杜拉因肺炎去世后,79岁的萨勒曼成为了新国王。
It has long been a common tactic8 for a new monarch to win over the hearts and mind of the people with generosity9 when they first come to power.
为赢得民心在掌权后向民众发放红包是沙特新国王惯用的策略。
The tactic appears to be working, with reports that companies have taken out billboards10 across the country saying they 'pledge allegiance' to their new ruler.
这策略看起来也相当凑效,有报道称一些公司已在全国范围内登出的广告上宣称他们愿意为新国王效忠。
King Abdullah announced a 15 per cent raise in government salaries after taking the throne in 2005, and also handed out a one-month salary bonus in 2011 after returning from medical treatment abroad.
前任国王阿布杜拉在2005年掌权后宣布将政府工作人员的工资提高15%,2011年从国外结束治疗后又给民众发放了相当于1个月工资的红包。
But experts have warned that the tradition will be unsustainable in the future, as falling oil prices around the world has an impact on Saudi Arabia's wealthy reserves.
但是专家警告这项传统在将来可能不会延续下去,因为全球油价持续下跌,已经对沙特阿拉伯的财富储备产生了影响。
1 monarch [ˈmɒnək] 第7级 | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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2 bin [bɪn] 第7级 | |
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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3 remarkably [ri'mɑ:kəbli] 第7级 | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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4 handout [ˈhændaʊt] 第9级 | |
n.散发的文字材料;救济品 | |
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5 pensioners [ˈpenʃənəz] 第8级 | |
n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 ) | |
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6 aged [eɪdʒd] 第8级 | |
adj.年老的,陈年的 | |
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7 pneumonia [nju:ˈməʊniə] 第8级 | |
n.肺炎 | |
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8 tactic [ˈtæktɪk] 第8级 | |
n.战略,策略;adj.战术的,有策略的 | |
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9 generosity [ˌdʒenəˈrɒsəti] 第8级 | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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10 billboards [ˈbɪlˌbɔ:dz] 第8级 | |
n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 ) | |
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