VOA标准英语2009-10 Major US Banks Told To Raise $75 Billion

The U.S. government says 10 of America's biggest banks need a total of $75 billion in additional capital to survive if the recession deepens. The disclosure is contained in the results of so-called "stress tests" for top lending institutions that were announced Thursday.

Since last October, the U.S. government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to prop¹ up ailing² American banks and other institutions in hopes of rescuing the nation's battered³ financial system and unfreezing tight credit conditions that were choking the economy.

The effort seems to have worked -- to a point. Although several well-known American banks and financial institutions failed last year, a complete collapse⁴ of the U.S. banking⁵ industry did not occur, and signs of improved credit flows have since emerged.

Even so, the threat has not ended, particularly if the current economic recession drags on or worsens. That is the message delivered by the Obama administration and the U.S. central bank, which collaborated⁶ on an exhaustive effort to review the health of America's 19 biggest private lending institutions.

Nine of the 19 were deemed safe from failure in the event of further economic shock. But 10 others must boost their capital reserves to provide a cushion in case economic conditions grow worse. Chief among them is America's largest retail⁷ bank, Bank of America, which is now tasked with raising nearly $34 billion. Wells Fargo needs $13.7 billion, while Citigroup must raise $5.5 billion.
　
Fed. Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prepares to testify before Congress, 05 May 2009

Appearing alongside Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Treasury⁸ Secretary Timothy Geithner struck a cautiously optimistic tone.

"The leaders of our nation's banks have a lot to do to earn back the public's trust. Things are improving in financial markets, but we have a long way to go. It is just the beginning, and we are going to keep working to try to make sure this financial system is in a stronger position so it can provide the credit necessary for recovery," he said.

Some economists⁹ have questioned whether the stress tests were rigorous enough to provide a true gauge¹⁰ of health in America's banking sector¹¹.

Where will banks obtain the additional capital they need? Most funds from a massive $700 billion federal rescue package have already been spent. The Obama administration says it is not inclined to ask Congress for additional funds, and that banks will have to rely primarily on private sources to raise capital in the future. As stress test results were being released, several lending institutions announced common stock offerings to raise cash.

In other economic news, the number of newly-laid off Americans applying for jobless benefits fell to a three-month low last week, although the cumulative¹² number of Americans getting unemployment checks remains¹³ at an all-time high. U.S. retail sales edged higher in April, while U.S. consumer borrowing fell in March. U.S. productivity gains slightly exceeded most analysts¹⁴' expectations in the first quarter of the year.

On Thursday Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 102 points, or 1.2%.

1 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

2 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

3 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 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。

6 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 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。

9 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

11 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。

12 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

13 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。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。