澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2012-07-18

 Now let’s move to finance. The chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve says America’s economic recovery is being held back by Europe’s debt crisis. And Ben Bernanke has told a congressional hearing that the U.S. economy has slowed significantly in recent months. 

 

 

“Reflecting its concerns about the slow pace of progress in reducing employment and downside risks to economic outlook, the Committee made clear at its June meeting that it is prepared to take further action as appropriate to promote a stronger economic recovery and sustained improvement in labor¹ market conditions. Europe’s financial markets and economy remain under significant stress, with spillover effects on financial and economic conditions in the rest of the borrowers, including the United States. Moreover, the possibility that the situation in Europe will worsen further remains² a significant risk to the outlook.” 

 

That’s Ben Bernanke. Let’s go to the market. The Dow rose 78 points. The NASDAQ gained 13. The S&P500 also improved. But in London, the FTSE shed 33 points. Checking commodity markets, West Texas crude is trading at 89 U.S. dollars and 5 cents a barrel. TAPIS crude is at 107 U.S. dollars and 1 cent a barrel. And gold is at 1582 U.S. dollars an ounce. The Australian dollar has firmed, is also buying 84 Euro cents and 66 pence sterling³.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 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。