Even in the current economic gloom, bankers have been reluctant to part with one massive allowance of their jobs—the lavish bonu

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问题     Even in the current economic gloom, bankers have been reluctant to part with one massive allowance of their jobs—the lavish bonus. Not surprisingly, this rankles everyday people greatly as they struggle to rebound from the turmoil of the past year.
    Given the political climate, European Union leaders on Sept. 17 vowed to take actions on what French President Nicolas Sarkozy calls "the scandal" of bank bonuses.【F1】They agreed in Brussels to seek binding rules on the allocation of bonuses, sending a strong message to US President Barack Obama and the G-20 leaders who are meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa. , on Sept. 24 and 25 that they are serious about punishing on wasteful spending by financial institutions.
    At the summit, the leaders declared that bonuses should be tied to a bank’s performance and that guaranteed annual payouts should be avoided.【F2】The group also demanded that the G-20 "commit to agreeing to binding rules for financial institutions on variable allowances, backed up by the threat of sanctions at the national level. "
    The attendees themselves were even noisier. "The bonus bubble burst tonight," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU presidency. He said inaction on bonuses would be a " provocation in Europe, especially when set against a steep rise in unemployment. " And British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said there would be no return to the bonus structure of the past. " I am personally appalled by some of the practices that have been going on at some institutions," he said. The move could put Europe in contradiction with the US.【F3】Last week, Obama said Wall Street could not go back to the days of "reckless behavior and unchecked excess," but he has repeatedly said he is against creating strict rules on pay. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said on Sept. 17 that Europe should act on bonuses "whether the Americans are with us or not. "
    But despite all the condemnations and harsh language, there was little actual bite behind the rhetoric at the EU summit. Officials failed to agree on concrete measures to limit bonuses, admitting that many of their recommendations were virtually unenforceable.【F4】Sarkozy, who has threatened to walk out of the G-20 meeting if there is no agreement on regulating bonuses, was also forced to abandon his initial call for a precise salary cap. By the end of the summit, he suggested that the best solution would be stricter rules on capital levels—a proposal that has already been made by the Financial Stability Board, a group of central bankers and regulators that has been tasked by the G-20 with formulating a plan to target bonuses.
    Nonetheless, the issue is popular with voters.【F5】And whether bonuses are the cause of the world’s economic miseries or not, the battle against them is giving EU leaders a rare common cause.
【F5】

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答案不论红利是否是世界经济灾难的缘由,但与之有关的抵抗运动却给了欧盟领导者们一个非常显而易见的理由。

解析 本句为复合句。句子主干为…the battle is giving EU leaders a rare common cause。注意whether…or…句型的翻译,汉语可放在一起译为“是否是”。rare具有“稀有的”之意,在这里取其“非常的,极度的”之意。
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