2007年VOA标准英语-Central Bank Chairman Upbeat About US Economy

By Barry Wood
Washington
14 February 2007

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke told a Senate committee Wednesday that, while U.S. economic growth is moderating, inflationary pressures have receded¹. VOA's Barry Wood reports the central banker's remarks triggered strong advance on Wall Street.

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Ben Bernanke testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee hearing on monetary policy , 14 Feb 2007

Share prices shot up primarily because market participants believe interest rates will hold steady and not have to rise to contain inflationary pressure. After a series of increases in 2004 and 2005, short-term interest rates have held steady at five-and-a-quarter percent. Bernanke was cautious in addressing the inflationary outlook.

"As I noted⁴ earlier, there are some signs that inflationary pressures are beginning to diminish," he said. "The monthly data are noisy [unclear], however, and consequently it will be more time before we can be confident that underlying⁵ inflation is moderating as anticipated."

Bernanke said the weak housing sector⁶ remains⁷ a cause of concern, but saw signs of improvement.

"Single family housing starts have dropped more than 30 percent since the beginning of last year and employment in the construction sector has slowed dramatically," he said. "Some tentative signs of stabilization⁸ have recently occurred in the housing market."

"New and existing home sales have flattened⁹ out in recent months, mortgage applications have picked up, and some surveys find that home buyer sentiment has improved," he continued.

After several years of rapid increases, U.S. home prices fell last year and many experts say the market bottom has not yet been reached.

But the general theme of Bernanke's testimony¹⁰ was optimistic. He expects the U.S. economy to expand by nearly three percent this year and next with exports rising twice as fast as imports. He believes U.S. households are generally in good financial condition and that the business sector is healthy.

1 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

2 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。

3 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

4 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。

5 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 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。

8 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

9 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

10 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。