蘇聯垮台之後
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, economies of Eastern Europe have been steadily on the rise.
東歐經濟自蘇聯垮台後便一直穩健成長。
steadily(adv.)穩健地;逐步地on the rise=增加中;上升中
Since the end of World War 2, 18 nations have gone from poor to wealthy, starting from Southern European countries such as Greece and Portugal, followed by East Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan.
18個國家在二戰結束後脫離貧窮邁向富裕，一開始是希臘與葡萄牙等南歐國家，隨後是南韓與台灣等東亞國家。
wealthy(adj.)富有的
According to IMF standards, the 10 most recent states to become advanced include micro states or territories, such as Puerto Rico, while the rest are ex-communist nations of Eastern Europe: the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Slovenia.
根據國際貨幣基金組織的標準，最近轉變為發達經濟體的十個國家包括波多黎各這類小國或領土，而其餘則是東歐前共產主義國家如捷克共和國、斯洛伐克共和國、立陶宛、拉脫維亞、愛沙尼亞與斯洛維尼亞等。
advanced(adj.)先進的communist(n.)共產主義者communism(n.)共產主義
These countries have a per capita income higher than US$17,000.
這些國家的人均所得皆高於17,000美元，
per capita=人均income(n.)收入
Among the few approaching that threshold are Poland, Hungary and Romania.
幾個接近最低門檻的國家為波蘭、匈牙利與羅馬尼亞。
approach(v.)接近;臨近threshold(n.)門檻
Many of these Soviet satellite states left the Eastern Bloc with a highly educated and skilled workforce, allowing them to find success as independent nations.
在離開東方集團之際，許多蘇聯衛星國有著受過高等教育的技術勞動人口，這使得這些國家得以獨立並找到成功的出路。
workforce(n.)勞動人口independent(adj.)獨立的
Throughout history, economic development has been consistently achieved through manufacturing expertise — something that Eastern Europe has in common with East Asia.
綜觀歷史，許多國家靠著製造業技術實現經濟發展——這是東歐與東亞的共同之處。
achieve(v.)達成;實現in common with=跟~有共同點
Manufacturing can generate regular export income, which can then be reinvested into new factories and infrastructure, making it a self-sustaining driver of economic growth.
製造業可創造固定出口收入，並可再投入建設新工廠與基礎設施，使其成為經濟成長並自給自足的驅動力。
export(n.)(v.)出口import(n.)(v.)進口invest(v.)投資;投入self-sustaining(adj.)自給自足的