VOA标准英语2008年-US Unemployment Hits Two-Year High
时间：2019-02-06 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年（一月）
White House
04 January 2008
Unemployment in the United States rose sharply last month and government figures released late Friday show the number of new jobs was at its lowest level in four years. As VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, President Bush is considering more tax cuts in an effort to boost the nation's sagging 1 economy.
American unemployment rose to five percent last month, the highest rate since 2005. And new employment statistics released Friday show the U.S. economy added only 18,000 new jobs in December, far fewer than most economists 2 expected.
Following a meeting with his top financial advisers 3, President Bush said that while the Friday jobs report shows some uncertainty 4, the U.S. economy remains 5 strong.
"This economy of ours is on a solid foundation, but we can't take economic growth for granted, and there are signs that will cause us to be ever more diligent 6 and make sure good policies come out of Washington," he said.
The president says consumer spending is still strong and core inflation is low, but home values are declining and gasoline and food prices are rising.
Mr. Bush warned opposition 7 Democrats 8 in Congress against raising taxes, saying that is the worst thing lawmakers could do. But he did urge them to pass legislation that could help more Americans refinance their homes.
"When Congress comes back, I look forward to working with them to deal with the economic realities of the moment and to ensure the American people that we will do everything we can to make sure we remain a prosperous country," he added.
The ongoing 9 financial crisis over adjustable-rate mortgages continues to affect the overall economy and not just home sales. There has been a cut in jobs in the building industry and the Labor 10 Department report also shows a drop in factory jobs.
President Bush is considering an economic stimulus 11 package that could include more tax cuts. In a Thursday interview with the Reuters news service, Mr. Bush said he and his economic team are considering all their options and he probably will not decide whether to act until his State of the Union address later this month.
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is urging the president to take action to avoid what the lawmaker says could be the economy tumbling into recession.
- The morale of the enemy troops is continuously sagging. 敌军的士气不断低落。
- We are sagging south. 我们的船正离开航线向南漂流。
- 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》
- a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
- She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。
- Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
- After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。
- 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。
- He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
- She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
- The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
- The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
- The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
- We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
- He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。