法国证实第三季度经济负增长

 　　法国证实第三季度经济负增长

　　PARIS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The French national statistics bureau Insee on Tuesday confirmed a negative performance of Europe's main powerhouse during the third quarter of the year on weak exports and poor investment.

　　For the July-September period, France's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 0.1 percent, compared to a 0.6 percent growth for the previous quarter, the agency added.

　　Investment in the eurozone's second largest economy declined by 0.4 percent with cash of non-financial firms down by 2.1 percent for the third quarter.

　　French exports fell by 1.3 percent after having expanded 1.9 percent in the second quarter while imports grew by 0.9 percent, contributing to a negative trade balance.

　　The growth of households' expenditure¹ slowed by 0.3 percentage points to stand at 0.1 percent in the third quarter, the report added.

　　Insee lowered the 2013 full-year growth forecast of the French economy to 0.1 percent from a previous estimation of 0.2 percent, adding more pressure on the government to recover with rampant² unemployment exceeding 10 percent.

1 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

2 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。