2月中国出口降幅为2009年初以来最大

 　　China’s foreign trade contracted much faster than expected last month, the latest sign of weakening global trade and lethargic¹ domestic commodity demand as the country’s economy slows.

　　2月，中国外贸额下降速度显著快于预期，这一迹象再次表明，在中国经济放缓之际，全球贸易日趋疲弱，中国国内大宗商品需求萎靡不振。

　　Exports fell 25.4 per cent in February from a year earlier in dollar terms, the worst one-month decline since early 2009 and down from the 11.2 per cent drop in January. Imports fell 13.8 per cent, trimming losses after an 18.8 per cent fall in January.

　　以美元计，2月出口额同比下降25.4%，为2009年初以来的最大单月降幅，1月的同比降幅为11.2%。进口额同比下降13.8%，较1月18.8%的降幅有所收窄。

　　The February data partly reflect seasonal² distortions related to the lunar new year holiday, which occurred earlier this year than last, raising the base of comparison for February 2015. But combined January and February trade data still show a marked deterioration³ compared with late 2015, analysts⁴ say.

　　2月数据在一定程度上反映出与春节假期有关的季节性扭曲——与今年相比，去年春节到来得更晚，因此抬高了比较基数。但分析师表示，1月和2月的合计贸易数据依然显示，贸易状况相比2015年底显著恶化。

　　In an ominous⁵ sign for the renminbi, China’s trade surplus narrowed to $32.6bn in February from an all-time high of $63.3bn in January. The merchandise trade surplus — due mainly to falling prices for commodity imports — has been one of the few bright spots in China’s overall balance of payments over the past year, helping⁶ to offset⁷ unprecedented⁸ outflows from investment and the services trade.

　　2月，中国贸易顺差从1月633亿美元的历史最高纪录收窄至326亿美元，这对人民币来说不是个好兆头。货物贸易顺差——主要由大宗商品进口价格不断下跌导致——是去年中国整体国际收支中为数不多的亮点之一，在一定程度上抵消了投资和服务贸易方面前所未有的资本流出。

　　There were also signs that inflated⁹ import invoices¹⁰ are being used as a cover to convert renminbi to foreign currency and send funds out of China, mainly to Hong Kong. Foreign exchange reserves data released on Monday indicate capital outflow pressure eased in February as the renminbi stabilised, but many companies and investors¹¹ remain pessimistic about the Chinese currency.

　　还有迹象表明，企业以虚开进口发票做掩护，把人民币兑换为外币后把资金带到境外，主要是香港。周一公布的外汇储备数据显示，随着人民币汇率企稳，2月的资本外流压力有所减小，但许多企业和投资者仍对人民币前景感到悲观。

　　Imports from Hong Kong surged by 88.7 per cent in February, even as those from other Asian trading partners such as Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea fell.

　　2月，中国从香港进口额激增了88.7%，尽管当月从台湾、新加坡和韩国等其他亚洲贸易伙伴的进口额有所下降。

 

1 lethargic   

adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的

参考例句：

• He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采，完全没有心思穿衣整装。
• The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

4 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。

5 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 invoices   

发票( invoice的名词复数 )； （发货或服务）费用清单； 清单上货物的装运； 货物的托运

参考例句：

• Take the example of a purchasing clerk keying invoices into a system. 继续说录入员输入发票的例子，这个录入员是一个全职的数据输入人员。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Consular invoices are declarations made at the consulate of the importing country. 领事发票是进口国领事馆签发的一种申报书。

11 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