澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-08-17

A meeting between the French and German leaders to discuss Europe’s debt crisis has failed to calm nerves on world markets. German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are pushing for closer economic coordination² in the eurozone. They also want a tax on financial transactions to raise more revenue. But investors³ were disappointed they didn’t signal the need for an increase in the eurozone’s bailout facility.

Australia’s second largest steel maker⁴ OneSteel has foreshadowed more job cuts after a drop in profits. OneSteel has posted an annual profit of $230 million. That’s 11 per cent down on last year. The company blames a strong Australian dollar and a slump⁵ in domestic construction for the profit slide. It says it’s now considering closing its blast furnace at Whyalla in South Australia. And it says it may also cut more than the 400 jobs it already planned to shed.

Let’s go to the markets, and Wall Street fell overnight on new concerns about the European debt crisis. The Dow lost 76 points, the NASDAQ fell 31, the S&P500 lost 10, although in London the FTSE closed up seven points.

And checking commodity prices. West Texas Crude is trading at 86 US dollars and 65 cents a barrel. Tapis crude is at 116 US dollars and 79 cents a barrel, and gold is trading at 1,784 US dollars and 60 cents an ounce.

The Australian dollar is buying one dollar and four US cents, 72 euro cents and 63 pence sterling⁶.

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

3 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

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

6 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。