美国国会参议院以压倒性多数投票通过了布什政府提出的金融机构拯救计划，使这个倍受争议的方案总算过了第一关，可是世界金融市场似乎并没有因此而受到鼓舞，继续大幅下滑。

　　World markets might have been expected to breathe a sigh of relief after the U.S. Senate approved a bill authorizing the federal government to purchase hundreds of billions of dollars in bad debt from troubled financial institutions. The measure is seen by many economists as an important step toward ending an international credit crunch that could strangle global economic growth.

　　人们原本预期，美国国会参议院批准金融拯救议案，授权联邦政府拿出数千亿美元收购金融机构的坏帐，会使世界市场松一口气，可是结果还是事与愿违。很多经济学家都认为，这个方案是缓和国际信贷紧缩进而防止全球经济停滞不前的重要步骤。

　　But U.S. stocks opened down and sank even lower by midday trading. The losses came amid another indication of a slowing American economy: applications for unemployment benefits have risen to their highest level in more than seven years.

　　美国股票市场星期四一开市就走低，到了中午的时候，道琼斯工业平均指数便已经下滑了将近300点，主要由于最新的经济数据显示，上个星期美国首次申领失业救济的人数增加到七年多来的最高水平。

　　At the White House, President George Bush met with U.S. business leaders, and said the bailout package must not stall in the House of Representatives, which rejected a similar bill Monday, prompting the biggest ever single-day point loss in U.S. market history.

　　星期四在白宫，布什总统会见了几位美国工商企业的主管。他说，金融拯救计划决不能再在众议院搁浅。星期一下午，美国国会众议院投票否决了布什总统的金融拯救计划，导致美国股票市场疯狂下泻，道琼斯工业平均指数丧失了777点，那是美国股市有史以来最大的单日下跌点数。

　　"This is an issue that is affecting hardworking people," he said. "They are worried about their savings. They are worried about their jobs. They are worried about their houses. They are worried about their small businesses. And, the House of Representatives must listen to these voices."

　　布什总统说：“这个问题影响到辛勤工作的美国人民。他们担心自己的储蓄。他们担心自己的工作。他们担心自己的房子。他们担心自己的小生意。国会众议院必需倾听他们的声音。”

　　While Asian markets were mixed, all major European markets reversed early gains and finished with losses.

　　星期四的亚洲股市涨跌互见，欧洲的绝大多数股市早盘有所上扬，但是最后都以跌势作收。

　　Europe's market downturn came after the European Central Bank opted to keep interest rates unchanged. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet did not rule out the possibility of future rate cuts to boost economic activity and reassure financial markets, but said the bank was holding steady for now to guard against inflation.

　　欧洲市场是在欧洲中央银行宣布保持利率不变之后下滑的。欧央行行长特里谢虽然没有排除今后降低利率以促进经济活动和稳定金融市场的可能性，但是他表示，为了防止通货膨胀恶化，欧央行现在只能保持目前的利率水平。

　　"The economic outlook is subject to increased downside risks, mainly stemming from a scenario of ongoing financial market tensions affecting the real economy more adversely than currently foreseen," he said. "Other downside risks relate to the possibility of renewed increases in highly volatile energy and food prices, disorderly developments owing to global imbalances, and rising protectionist pressures."

　　“经济前景受制于日益增加的下行风险，而下行风险主要来自于金融市场的持续紧张，这给真实经济造成的负面影响远远大于人们目前的预期。其他的下行风险跟再度出现的能源和食品价格暴涨有关，还有全球贸易不平衡的混乱性发展和日益高涨的保护主义压力。”

　　Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund is warning of a worldwide slowdown in economic activity.

　　与此同时，国际货币基金组织IMF警告说，全世界的经济活动都在减速。

　　"It is now all too clear that we are seeing the most dangerous shock to the mature financial markets since the 1930s, posing a major threat to global growth," said IMF Deputy Research Director Charles Collyns. "We find that when the banking system suffers major damage, as in the current episode, the likelihood of a severe and protracted downturn in activity increases."

　　IMF研究部副主任查尔斯·科林斯(Charles Collyns)说：“现在有目共睹的是：我们正面临着1930年代以来成熟的金融市场所遭受的最危险的震荡，这对全球经济增长构成重大威胁。我们发现，当银行系统遭受重大损失时，目前的情况正是如此，经济活动出现严重而又持久的下滑的可能性随之增加。”

　　The increasingly global financial crisis began with a rash of U.S. home foreclosures after a prolonged period of loose credit that saw millions of Americans acquire home mortgages they could not afford. In recent months, most major U.S. financial institutions that traded heavily in mortgage debt have failed, been sold off, or were taken over by the U.S. government.

　　这场越来越全球化的金融危机始于美国的房地产市场危机。在此前漫长的信贷宽松时期，数以百万计的美国人无视自己的承担能力而大笔筹借房屋抵押贷款，结果很多人由于无力偿还贷款而丧失了住房赎回权。最近几个月来，很多大型的美国金融机构由于坏帐如山、资金周转不灵而宣布破产、遭到并购，或者被美国政府接管。