VOA标准英语2009年-US Central Bank Sees Continued Economic Slide
时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(一月)
The U.S. central bank says the U.S. economy continues to deteriorate 1, and the outlook for the months ahead remains 2 grim. Wednesday's Federal Reserve report followed another decline in U.S. retail 3 sales that helped push financial markets lower.
In its latest snapshot of America's economic health, the U.S. central bank says overall conditions continued to deteriorate in recent months in all regions of the United States. The report says American consumers have reacted to a severe recession by further cutting back spending, prompting dismal 4 retail sales numbers and forcing businesses to cut back on production.
The Federal Reserve has slashed 5 U.S. interest rates to record-low levels, and there is no indication that it intends to tighten 6 monetary 7 policy anytime soon.
The Fed report came hours after the U.S. Commerce Department said retail sales fell for a record sixth consecutive 8 month in December, plummeting 9 two-point-seven percent - more than double what many economists 11 had expected.
"Same-store sales have been negative for month after month after month. It is reflective of how difficult the retail environment is and how much consumers have scaled back their spending. I mean, this was just a terrible number," says retail industry analyst 12 Ken 13 Perkins.
Responding to weak demand, businesses cut their product inventories 14 by point-seven percent in November, the largest decline in seven years.
U.S. consumer spending accounts for more than half of the country's economic activity, and the protracted 15 slump 16 in retail sales is seen as yet another strong indicator 17 of economic weakness. If 2008 was the year that saw the obliteration 18 of America's biggest names in the financial services industry, 2009 could be the year of failed U.S. retailers 19.
"We are going to be seeing a rash of store closings and retail bankruptcies 20 here over the next few months," says economist 10 Robert Dye of PNC Financial Services.
Last week, one of America's best known retail stores, Macy's, announced poor sales were forcing it to close a number of its outlets 21 around the country.
Economic pain extends far beyond the United States. New rounds of job cuts are being announced almost daily in many countries, including Britain, where banks, carmakers, and retailers announced a combined total of nearly 3,000 workers eliminated from payrolls 22 Wednesday.
The drumbeat of negative economic news is taking a toll 23 on oil prices, which slid under $36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Poor economic indicators 24 are also punishing financial markets.
"Investors 25 are still very nervous, very jumpy, and, as we can see, it does not take much to knock the market down sharply," says Al Goldman, Chief Market Strategist at Wachovia Securities.
Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average was sharply lower Wednesday. Shares in London, Paris, and Frankfurt all finished the day down more than four and a half percent. Markets in Tokyo and Hong Kong both recorded slight gains.
- Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗?
- He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为,这只会使局势更加恶化。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
- These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
- That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
- My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。
- Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
- He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
- Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策,以避免通货膨胀。
- The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
- Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
- It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
- The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。
- Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
- The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句
- He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
- He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
- The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
- Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
- Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.
- In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下,比如存货,其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
- The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。
- The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争,我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
- Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。
- Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
- His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。
- The policy is obliteration, openly acknowledged. 政策是彻底毁灭,公开承认的政策。 来自演讲部分
- "Obliteration is not a justifiable act of war" “彻底消灭并不是有理的战争行为” 来自演讲部分
- High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
- Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。
- It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加50%。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
- The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月,就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
- Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网
- The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
- The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
- The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
- It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。