2.The strongest signal came last week， when Mickey Kanter， the U.S. trade representative， moved quickly to cite the 12-nation European Community for “intolerable” discrimination against U.S. companies seeking government contracts within the community. The administration will begin retaliating in six weeks if EC policies remain unchanged.

　　更强的信号来自于上周，美国贸易代表米奇·凯特引用欧共体的话指出，12国欧共体谋求共同体内部的政府间合同是对美国公司的“令人无法忍受的”歧视。凯特先生说，如果欧共体一意孤行，美国政府将于六周后开始报复。

　　3.Administration officials see little risk that this more aggressive policy could escalate into a full-fledged trade war that would shock the world“s fragile economies. Thus， the administration will not be deterred by complaints that it has moved to ”protectionism.“

　　对于这种更加大胆的政策会升级为震动世界脆弱经济的全面贸易战争，政府官员认为这种危险的可能性很小，因此虽有人抱怨美国已趋向“贸易保护主义”，政府不会受其阻碍。

　　4.In some ways， Mr. Clinton and his advisers are following the same well-trod path as the Bush administration， which threatened sanctions against the Community last year and walked away from GATT negotiations rather than sign an agreement that would provide only small gains for U.S. companies.

　　从某种程度上，克林顿先生和他的顾问们正在走一条人们熟悉的与布什政府相同的路。布什政府去年曾威胁对欧共体实行制裁，并退出了关贸总协定的谈判，没有答署只会给美国公司带来小量收益的协定。

　　第六章

　　一、术语：

　　the single market 统一大市场 Maastricht Treaty 马斯特里赫特条约

　　barrier-free market 无壁垒市场 free-trade zone 自由贸易区

　　referendum 公民复决投票 merger 兼并

　　budget cuts 预算削减 political and economic integration 政治经济一体化

　　deregulation 放松管制 privatization 私有化

　　二、词语释义：

　　big bang： strong and powerful effect； impact （不同凡响的效果）

　　sour： worsen backlash： a strong adverse reaction

　　be bursting to： be eager to （迫不及待地 … ） skid： slide； fall

　　gush about： talk about with excessive enthusiasm （滔滔不绝地谈论）

　　translate into： transform into hang over： impend over； threaten

　　三、句子翻译：

　　1.Yet in its current dour mood， Europe risks almost overlooking the revolutionary step forward it has taken in creating the world“s largest and wealthiest barrier-free market — and on a continent where， for centuries， economic battles have led to some of history”s bloodiest wars. But perhaps the major reason is the dark economic clouds now hanging over Europe. One of the central justifications for the single market was its ability to create greater prosperity， but it is making its debut just as Europe traverses one of its roughest economic storms in years.

　　然而在目前抑郁的情绪中，欧洲几乎冒险忽视了那种前进的革命性步伐，它曾以那种步伐创立了世界上更大的、更富有的自由市场——在一个大洲，那里几个世纪以来经济上的争斗已经导致了一些历史上更血腥的战争。另外，一些观察家说，如果无法通过推进欧洲一体化来加强大市场，那将导致破坏内部市场计划已经取得的成就。

　　2. The single market is central to the community“s progress， but it is by no means certain that it could stand alone， says one senior EC official here， ”if the political will to continue moving forward fails， we can anticipate more strains in the marriage contract that ultimately would strike at what we“ve accomplished.”

　　“大市场是共同体进步的中心，但是决不能肯定它能独立存在”，一位欧共体高级官员在这里说，“如果继续前进的政治意愿没有了，我们能预见到联姻协议中会出现更多的紧张因素，它们更终会打击我们已经取得的成绩。”