澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-08-24

 And Spain's parliament has agreed to pass a constitutional limit on public-sector borrowing. It's the first eurozone country to impose such a restriction¹. Last week, France and Germany called on all eurozone governments to introduce limits to help contain the debt crisis. The proposed amendment² will require the government to maintain a balanced budget and cap the total amount of debts it can run up. The Spanish parliament is also debating further austerity measures to cut the country's deficit³. 

 

World stock markets have risen on speculation⁴ that the US Federal Reserve is planning further stimulatory⁵ measures. Wall Street was up around three per cent while European markets closed a more modest half a per cent higher. 

 

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is widely expected to discuss further stimulus⁶ actions in a speech on Friday. Weak housing and factory data in the US have triggered this latest speculation. 

 

Now let's take a look at those markets now. The Dow closed up 322 points. The NASDAQ was also up 160 points. And the S&P500 was up 33 points. In London, the FTSE closed up 34. 

 

And checking commodity prices, West Texas Crude is trading at 85 US dollars and 39 cents a barrel. Tapis crude is trading at 117 US dollars and 30 cents a barrel. And gold is trading at 1832 US dollars and 69 cents an ounce. The Australian dollar is buying one dollar five US, 72 euro cents and 63 pence sterling⁷.

1 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

2 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

3 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 stimulatory   

adj.刺激； 激励； 激发； 鼓舞

参考例句：

• Some are more stimulatory, others more sedative. 有些比较起兴奋作用，另一些比较起镇静作用。 来自辞典例句
• Conclusions: H. ducreyi influences T-cell-stimulatory ability of APCs and favors a Th1-type response. 提示 ：杜克雷菌能影响APCs活化T细胞的能力 ，并有助于Th1型反应。 来自互联网

6 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

7 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。