VOA标准英语2009年-Jump in US Home Sales Reported

America's battered¹ housing industry is showing signs of life, according to new U.S. government statistics.
　
Home sales rising, but prices still slumping³

U.S. home sales recorded the largest monthly increase in more than eight years, rising 11 percent in June, according to the Commerce Department. It was the third consecutive⁴ month of rising sales.

Global Insight economist⁵ Nigel Gault says the sales jump is a welcome sign of improvement in an industry that has suffered its worst slump² in decades.

"The signals, at least on the home sales front, are pretty clear. We hit bottom sometime during the first half of the year, and we are now on the uptrend," Gault said.

Even so, home values continue to decline. The median sales price in June was $206,000, down from $219,000 in May and $234,000 a year ago.

Nigel Gault says, over time, a revival⁶ of home sales will revitalize the entire industry.

"The housing market is stabilizing⁷. Sales are starting to pick up. And as a result, builders are also starting to increase their construction of new homes," Gault said.

From 2003 through 2007, a housing boom boosted the U.S. economy, spawning⁸ construction across the country and providing millions of American homeowners with equity⁹ that many used to finance everything from home improvements to new cars.

But the housing market crashed in 2008 amid a rash of mortgage defaults and home foreclosures that triggered last year's financial meltdown and helped send a faltering¹⁰ U.S. economy into a deep, prolonged recession.

 

1 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。

2 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

3 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

4 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

7 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

8 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

9 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

10 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。