China's March PMI rises to 53.1 pct

 　　BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a preliminary readout of the country's manufacturing activity, rose for four consecutive¹ months to the highest level since October, indicating the economy is on path of steady growth.

　　PMI climbed to 53.1 percent in March of 2012, 2.1 percentage points higher than a month earlier, the China Federation² of Logistics and Purchasing said Sunday.

　　A PMI reading of 50 percent demarcates expansion from contraction

1 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• 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。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。