From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing had to report some bad news last month. He said Detroit was seeking bankruptcy protection. The move would give the city court protection from creditors.
底特律市市长戴夫·宾（Dave Bing）上个月不得不报告了一些坏消息。他说，底特律市正在寻求破产保护。此举将为该市提供针对债权人的法庭保护。

"This is very difficult for all of us but if it's going to make the citizens better off, then this is a new start for us."
他说，“申请破产保护对我们所有人来说都是一个非常艰难的抉择。但如果它能给市民们带来好处，那么它就是我们的新起点。”

The decision to declare bankruptcy is an effort to restruction and reduce debt. It comes at a difficult time for Detroit.
宣布破产决定是为了重建和减少债务。该决定出台于底特律市的困难时期。

In March, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder named Kevyn Orr, a bankruptcy expert to oversee the city's financial problems. Detroit has been struggling to reduce a budget deficit of more than $300 million. In addtion, the city's long-term debt has increased to at least $18 billion.
3月份，密歇根州长里克·斯奈德（Rick Snyder）任命破产专家凯文·奥尔（Kevyn Orr）监督底特律市的财政问题。底特律市一直在努力减少为数3千多万美元的赤字。此外，该市的长期债务已经上升到了至少180亿美元。

Detroit's problems have grown over many years. Michigan State University professor Eric Scorsone says the city depended to much on one-industry.
底特律市的问题由来已久。密歇根大学教授埃里克·斯科宋（Eric Scorsone） 表示，该市过度依赖单一产业。

"You know, Unlike Chicago, New York and other cities where had more economic diversity, Detroit really didn't. It had the auto industry, it had suppliers to the auto industry, and so as those went away, the city began a very long decline that's really occurred over 50 years essentially."
他说，“底特律市不像芝加哥、纽约和其它城市具有经济多样化。它只有汽车产业和汽车行业供应商，当这些没了之后，该市开始走长下坡路并一直持续了50多年。

Jobs with car manufactures were a big reason why Detroit was one of the country's largest cities half a century ago. In the 1950s, it had a population of about 1.8 million people. Today, the number is down to less than 800,000.
汽车制造岗位是半个世纪前底特律市是美国最大城市之一的一大原因。20世纪50年代，该市人口约为180万人。如今这一数字下降到了80万人。

Robin Boyle is a professor of urban planning at Wayne State University. He says over the years, many Detroit residents moved to areas outside the city, or even left the state. That hurt Detroit's ability to invest in the city.
罗宾·博伊尔是韦恩州立大学的城市规划教授。他表示，多年来，许多底特律市的居民搬到了郊外，甚至离开了该州。这伤害了底特律市的投资能力。

"They have so little disposable income to reinvest in their communities, that if they have money they leave, they go to the suburbs or they go to find work elsewhere, putting us into this vicious cycle that drives us further and further down. How you break that is the challenge in Detroit."
他说，“他们再投资于社区的可支配收入如此之少，如果有钱他们就搬走了，搬到郊区或到其它地方找工作，这进一步使得我们进入这种恶性循环并越陷越深。如何打破这一恶性循环是底特律市面临的挑战。

It is rare for a large city to seek bankruptcy protection. In 1975, New York City came close before the federal government agree to provide money.
大城市寻求破产保护非常罕见。1975年，纽约市在联邦政府同意提供资金前，差点寻求破产保护。

Detroit, however, is the largest city to seek bankruptcy. A federal judge will consider Detroit's request. The judge's decision is expected in one to three month.
然而底特律市是寻求破产的最大城市。一位联邦法官将考虑底特律市的申请。该法官预计将在一到三个月内做出决定。