For the struggling economy of Egypt, aid is on the way in the form of the $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. 为帮助埃及摆脱经济困境，国际货币基金组织将向埃及提供120亿美元贷款。
The IMF is an organization of 189 countries. 国际货币基金组织有189个成员国。
It aims to stabilize global economies and it gives loans to member countries that need it. 该组织的目标是稳定全球经济，同时该组织会向有需要的成员国提供贷款。
Egypt is one of those countries. 埃及就是其中一个有需要的成员国。
Since the so-called "Arab Spring" led to the overthrow of its leader in 2011, Egypt's economy has been on a slide. 2011年的“阿拉伯之春”运动推翻了埃及的领导人，自那以后埃及的经济就一直在下滑。
Political struggles and terrorist attacks have hurt Egypt's tourism and foreign investment and the IMF loan can help. 政治斗争和恐怖袭击对埃及的旅游业和外国投资造成了损害，而国际货币基金组织提供的贷款可以起到帮助作用。
But in order to get it, Egypt's government had to create a sales tax. 但是要得到这笔贷款，埃及政府必须引入销售税。
It had to stop giving financial aid to help Egyptians pay for electricity. 同时埃及政府必须停止为帮助民众支付电费而提供的经济援助。
It had to raise the price of gasoline and it had to float its currency, 政府还必须提高汽油价格、允许本国货币自由浮动、
allowing the value of the Egyptian pound to change based on supply and demand. 允许埃及镑的汇率由供求决定。
Taking these steps help Egypt secure the loan it needed from the IMF. 采取这些措施可以帮助埃及获得国际货币基金组织提供的贷款。
But the consequences are hurting ordinary Egyptians. 但是后果是会对埃及普通民众造成伤害。
The pinch felt hardest at the market. Food prices increased by as much as 50 percent. 受影响最严重的是埃及市场。食品价格上涨了50%。
Overnight, the Egyptian pound lost half its value against the dollar. 一夜之间，埃及镑兑美元汇率下跌了一半。
The Central Bank floated the currency earlier this month. 本月初，埃及央行允许货币浮动。
"I have four kids. I can't provide for them. Egyptian money is worthless. 一名街头商贩说：“我有4个孩子。我已经养不起他们了。埃及货币已经不值钱了。
This 200 pound note has become essentially 20," says this street vendor. 这张200面额的埃及镑现在也就值20。”
"The increase in fuel prices pushed everything up," says this fruit vendor. 一名水果商贩说：“由于燃油价格上涨，其他东西的价格也上涨了。
"Transportation from the market has doubled. So, we increase our prices too. 市场的运送价格翻了一倍。所以我们也只能提高价格。
Now, whoever used to buy two kilograms buys one kilo." 以前能买两公斤水果的钱现在只能买一公斤。”
The price at the pump rose 40 percent as the government cuts subsidies. 由于政府削弱了补助，加油价格增长了40%。
Another hit came last week when Saudi Arabia's Aramco suspended a $23 billion deal, 上周，沙特阿拉伯的阿美石油公司暂停了同埃及价值230亿美元的协议，
stopping a monthly delivery of 700,000 tons of refined oil products for five years. 停止了五年来每个月都提供的70吨成品油供应，这使埃及再遭打击。
No reason was given. 而沙特方面并没有说明原因。
The average Egyptian made the equivalent of roughly $140 a month before the difficult but necessary devaluation. 在实行艰难但必要的货币贬值以前，埃及普通民众一个月的工资相当于140美元。
Now, it's about $70, putting them barely above the poverty line. 但现在他们的工资只有70美元左右，这种工资水平只略高于贫困线。
Making things worse, there's a drug shortage. 药品短缺使情况变得更糟。
This factory produces crucial heart disease medication and antibiotics. 这家工厂生产重要的心脏病药物和抗生素。
Its marketing director says they're struggling to keep up with demand 该工厂的市场总监表示，他们很难满足市场需求，
because the government sets prices at the pharmacies artificially low, 原因是政府人为降低了药品价格，
adding they only have enough raw materials for three to four months. 而且他们的原料只能维持三至四个月。
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