Wall Street rebounds as oil prices ease, banks surge

    NEW YORK, March 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks rebounded¹ on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones industrial（工业的） average achieving three-digit gains as oil prices eased from its fresh multi-year high, soothing² concerns that surging oil could hurt economic recovery.
    U.S. stocks have been mostly moving in opposite directions against oil in recent weeks. Investors⁴ were worried that soaring oil prices could increase corporate⁵ costs, hurt consumer spending, and put world recovery in jeopardy⁶.
    After hitting a new high in more than two and a half years, crude prices retreated on Tuesday after Kuwaiti Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed al-Abdullah al-Sabah said the Organization of the Petroleum⁷ Exporting Countries (OPEC)（石油输出国组织） was "in consultations⁸ about a potential output increase."With the oil supply disruption in Libya, the largest oil producer and exporter Saudi Arabia has already raised output to make up the shortfall. And according to the Financial Times, Kuwait, Nigeria and United Arab Emirates are also considering to produce more crude oil.
    Besides, the U.S. is weighing to tap strategic oil reserves in order to dampen the surging prices. All these helped tackle the fears among the market participants and so helped curb⁹ the oil prices.
    Light, sweet crude for April delivery dropped to as low as 103. 33 U.S. dollars a barrel before settling at 105.02 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while in London, Brent crude fell 1.7 percent to finish at 113.06 dollars a barrel.
    Also boosting the market, stocks of big banks rallied across the board on Tuesday after the Bank of America predicted lower costs and higher dividend¹⁰ in the years to come during its investor³ meeting.
    Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan told analysts¹¹ and investors that the company planned to increase its dividend in the second half of 2011 and return to shareholders¹² any excess capital more than 30 billion dollars after 2013 and 2014.
    Meanwhile, Moynihan also estimated that company revenue growth could surpass the U.S. economic growth by 100 basis points as loan loss provisions return to normal levels as the economy turns healthy.
    Bank of America was the biggest winner among the 30 Dow components¹³, with a gain of 4.7 percent. American Express and JP Morgan Chase, the other two major banks in the Dow, were also among the leaders, gaining 3.50 percent and 2.68 percent respectively.
    As of Tuesday's close, the Dow Jones industrial average jumped 124.35 points, or 1.03 percent, to 12,214.38. The Standard & Poor' s 500 Index was up 11.69 points, or 0.89 percent, to 1,321.82. The Nasdaq rallied 20.14 points, or 0.73 percent, to 2,765.77.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

2 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

3 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 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。

6 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

7 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

8 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

10 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

11 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。

12 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

13 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。