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A spending spree triggered by the plunge in energy prices helped boost eurozone growth to 0.4 per cent in the first quarter, as the region made further strides towards a meaningful recovery after years of near stagnation.
能源价格暴跌引发的消费热潮帮助欧元区第一季度增长率升至0.4%。经历了多年近乎停滞后，该地区朝着有意义的复苏取得进一步进展。
The strong start to 2015 means the eurozone grew at a faster pace than the US and UK economies, reversing the trend seen in recent years when the region was one of the world’s economic laggards.
2015年的强劲开端意味着，欧元区的增长比美国和英国更快，扭转了近年来欧元区落后于世界其他经济体的趋势。
The flash estimate for gross domestic product, produced by Eurostat, was broadly in line with economists’ expectations and beat the 0.3 per cent expansion recorded for the final quarter of last year. The US and UK economies expanded by 0.2 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively over the same period.
欧盟统计局(Eurostat)对国内生产总值(GDP)的初步估测与经济学家的预期基本一致，并超出了去年末季0.3%的增长率。一季度美国和英国的增长率分别为0.2%和0.3%。
A sturdier performance from France and Italy lifted the single currency area and fuelled hope that confidence was increasing in weaker parts of the region, though Greece returned to recession.
法国和意大利更为稳健的经济表现提振了欧元区，并且助燃了欧元区经济较弱地区信心正在增强的希望，尽管希腊再度陷入衰退。
France’s economy smashed expectations, expanding at the fastest pace in nearly two years as falling prices helped consumer spending lift growth by 0.6 per cent, a sharp rise from the stagnation in the fourth quarter. Italy’s 0.3 per cent expansion also beat forecasts and was the fastest in four years, bidding farewell to nearly three years of stagnation and recession.
法国的经济表现远远超出预期，油价下跌提振了消费者支出，使增长率从去年第四季度的近乎停滞大幅提升至0.6%，实现近两年来的最快增速。意大利0.3%的增长率也超出了预期，而且是近4年来最快增速，告别了持续近3年的停滞和衰退。
But the mood was more sombre in Germany, where growth dipped to
但德国的气氛更为阴暗，其一季度增长率从上一个季度的0.7%下跌至0.3%，逊于共识估计。
0.3 per cent from 0.7 per cent, missing consensus estimates.
德国放缓使围绕欧元区最大经济体的乐观情绪受到质疑。这种乐观情绪导致柏林方面将2015年的增长预测上调至1.8%，而私营部门经济学家预测增长率达到2%甚至更高。
The German slowdown raised doubts about the optimism over Europe’s largest economy, which has led Berlin to raise its 2015 forecast to 1.8 per cent and seen private economists target growth of 2 per cent and higher.
“逊于预期的增长支持我们的警告，即许多经济学家已变得过于乐观，”德国商业银行(Commerzbank)首席经济学家约尔格•克拉默(Jörg Krämer)说，“目前来看超过2%的预测值过高。就连本行1.8%的保守预测也面临下行风险。”
“The weaker than expected rise supports our warnings that many economists have become over-optimistic,” said Jörg Krämer, chief economist at Commerzbank. “Forecasts in excess of 2 per cent now look too high. We even see downward risks to our conservative 1.8 per cent estimate.”
同时，欧元区增长对低油价的依赖也引发了更大范围的忧虑。美国和中国的增长放缓迹象已拖累出口，抵消欧元走弱带来的积极效应。
