万花筒 2011-08-07&08-09 标普下调美国主权信用评级

 Wall Street ended its worst week since November, 2008 when it closed on Friday or so it thought. Now, Standard & Poor's has axed the top notch¹ US AAA credit rating. It's unprecedented² reverse of fortune for the world's largest economy. The US now has a long-term rating of AA plus. But S&P said in a statement:the outlook was negative, a sign that another downgrade could come in the next twelve to eighteen months. The downgrade could boost borrowing costs by 100 billion dollars. US treasury³ bonds once viewed as the safest security in the world are now rated lower than ones issued by countries like Britain, Germany, France or Canada. 

1 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

2 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。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。