NPR 2012-07-19

 Tepid hiring, modest growth, that's the economic picture being revealed on the Federal Reserve Survey, officially known as the Beige Book. The economy expanded in June and early July in several parts of the country, but overall growth pulled back. The survey says 3 of the Fed's 12 banking¹ districts, New York, Philadelphia and Cleveland have reported weaker growth. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke returned to Capitol Hill today to update the health financial services committee. As NPR's Craig Windham reports Bernanke says the central bank's large scale bond purchases have helped lift the economy out of the great recession, but economy remains² sluggish³. 

 

Bernanke insists though that the economy is not headed back into recession. 

 

We don't see a double dip recession. We see continued moderate growth. 

 

Bernanke says the Fed is prepared to take new steps to bolster⁴ the recovery if necessary.

 

It's certainly possible that we will take additional action if we conclude that we're not taking progress towards higher levels of employment. 

 

Bernanke suggested one reason the Fed may be holding off on new action for now. He says the central bank wants to determine whether the economy's current slowdown is temporary and seasonal⁵ or if something more fundamental is occurring. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

 

The threat of mass layoffs⁶ in the defense⁷ industry also has the attention of many congressional members today. Major defense manufacturers warn that threat of budget cuts could lead to huge losses of defense related jobs. The CEOs of four companies told law makers⁹ in congress should do something to avoid sequestration across the board budget cuts set for next year. NPR's Larry Abramson reports that the administration and the congress remain deadlocked¹⁰ on how to approach that issue.

 

House armed services committee chairman, republican Buck¹¹ Mckeon has been pushing to administration to assess the potential impact of additional budget cuts for defense programs. CEOs like David Hess of Pratt&Whitney say that without any information, his company and others are slowing productions.

 

Companies are limiting hiring and halting investments largely due to the uncertainty¹² about how sequestration cuts will be applied¹³. 

 

The Pentagon and the Office of Management of Budge⁸ have refused to provide any guidance. The administration argues sequestration will simply be disastrous¹⁴ for defense and all sectors¹⁵ of the budget and says congress has to come up with alternative strategies. Larry Abramson, NPR News.

 

The UN security council vote on the new Syrian resolution has been postponed¹⁶ until tomorrow, as diplomats¹⁷ make a last digit¹⁸? attempt at getting all council members on board. Russian have been warning that it will veto sanctions that would open the door to military intervention¹⁹.

 

At a last check on Wall Street, Dow was up 89 points, made that 90 points of more than a half a percent at 12'896.

 

You're listening to NPR News.

 

The White House is tracking a drought that's now covering more than half the continental²⁰ US. President Obama received briefing this morning from agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack whose department's been monitoring the devastating²¹ impact the dry weather's having on crops. In a monthly report the national climatic data center in North Carolina noted²² that 55% of the country was in moderate to extreme drought at the end of June. It says crops, pastures and ranch²³ land have deteriorated²⁴ at a rate rarely seen in the last 18 years.

 

Nelson Mandela is 94 years old. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton says the former South African president and an anti-apartheid hero is spending the day quietly with family at his home at eastern Cape²⁵.

 

School children all over South Africa sung a specially²⁶ composed 94th birthday anthem²⁷ for Nelson Mandela. To mark the number of years he spent in public life, people worldwide are encouraged to spend at least 67 minutes helping²⁸ the less fortunate. Traditionally his birthday is celebrated²⁹ with South Africa's poorer communities receiving help. Mr. Mandela himself is at home in Qunu in his native Eastern Cape. President Obama and the first lady have paid tribute to the anti-apartheid giant. Former president Bill Clinton who opened a primary school library in Qunu yesterday visited Mr. Mandela on the eve of his birthday. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar?.

 

US stocks have been trading higher. Dow up 92, NASDAQ up 29 and S&P 500 up 7 points.

 

This is NPR News.

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

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 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 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。

6 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

9 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

11 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

12 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

13 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

14 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

15 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

17 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 digit   

n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾

参考例句：

• Her telephone number differs from mine by one digit.她的电话号码和我的只差一个数字。
• Many animals have five digits.许多动物有5趾。

19 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

20 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

21 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

22 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

23 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

24 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

25 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

26 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

27 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

28 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。

29 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。