US Economy on Mend But Hiring Limited

 　　The end of 2011 helped give the world's largest economy a boost although not enough to make a large dent¹ in unemployment.

　　The U.S. central bank issued its so-called "Beige Book" report Wednesday - an anecdotal look at the overall health of the country's economy.

　　The Federal Reserve report said the U.S. economy "expanded at a modest to moderate pace" from late November into December, helped by strong retail² sales during the traditional Christmas holiday season. It said demand for services also increased.

　　But the report also found that hiring remained weak and that the housing market, a key component³ of the U.S. economy, was sluggish⁴.

　　The U.S. economy had a net gain of 200,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate dropped to 8.5 percent - the lowest level since early 2009.  But while the economy gained nearly 1.5 million jobs in the first 11 months of 2011, that has not made up for the millions of jobs lost in the recession.

1 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

2 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• 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。

3 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

4 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。