U.S. stocks consolidate after big gains

    NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as investors（投资者） pulled back after Monday's big gains.
    The Dow Jones industrial average added 20.43 points, or 0.18 percent, to 11,691.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped（下降） 1.69 points, or 0.13 percent, to 1,270.20 and the Nasdaq fell 10.27 points, or 0.38 percent, to 2,681.25.
    Major indexes fell in the morning session after opening moderately（适度地） higher, even as the factory goods orders came in better than expected. According to the Commerce Department, orders for factory goods rose 0.7 percent in November, while analysts¹ were expecting a small drop.
    Meanwhile, the sell-off in commodities exerted heavy pressure on stock market. Gold futures² on Tuesday took their biggest plunge³ in six months as optimism about the global economy dimmed the metal's safe-haven appeal.
    Gold for February delivery fell 44.10 dollars, or 3.1 percent, to settle at 1,378.80 dollars an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Silver lost more than 5 percent, while copper⁴ ended 2 percent lower, giving up the previous session ' s record high.
    Stocks trimmed some losses after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its December policy meeting.
    "While the economic outlook was seen as improving, members generally felt that the change in the outlook was not sufficient to warrant any adjustments to the asset-purchase program, and some noted⁵ that more time was needed to accumulate information on the economy before considering any adjustment," the Fed said.
    On corporate⁶ front, auto⁷ makers⁸ got boosted on Tuesday after major car companies reported strong sales.
    Ford⁹ Motor's sales jumped 15 percent and it grabbed market share from rivals for the second year in a row. General Motors's sales rose 6.3 percent while Chrysler climbed 17 percent, an impressive rebound¹⁰ from 2009 when the two companies restructured in bankruptcy¹¹ court.
    Shares of Motorola's successors jumped after the company officially split into the two entities¹² on Tuesday.
    Motorola Mobility¹³, doing its former parent's consumer-focused smart phone and set-top-box businesses, soared nearly 10 percent, while Motorola Solutions, focusing on operations that make hand- held communication devices, rallied 6.6 percent.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

3 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

4 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

11 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

12 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

13 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。