时间:2019-02-03 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(五月)


英语课
By Scott Stearns
White House
02 May 2008


The U.S. economy lost 20,000 jobs in April as higher food and fuel costs continue to slow economic growth. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, U.S. President George Bush says tax refunds 1 and business incentives 2 should help improve the economy by July.






President Bush delivers remarks on the economy at World Wide Technology Inc. in Maryland Heights, Missouri, 2 May 2008


President Bush delivers remarks on the economy at World Wide Technology Inc. in Maryland Heights, Missouri, 2 May 2008



It was the fourth consecutive 3 monthly decline for American workers, bringing the total number of jobs lost so far this year to more than 250,000. But April's drop was smaller than some economists 4 projected, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to five percent.


Speaking to workers in the Midwest state of Missouri, President Bush said the economy is not as robust 5 as he would like, but he is certain it will improve.


"I know it is tough times. And I know you are having to pay more at the fuel pump then you want, but this economy is going to come on. I'm confident that it will," he said.


The president says a temporary economic stimulus 6 package of tax rebates 7 and business incentives should start helping 8 turn the economy around by the start of the third financial quarter in July.


The first of those tax rebates to more than 130 million households went out this week. The rest will follow throughout May.


There was April job growth in education and health care, but not enough to make up for sharp losses in construction and manufacturing.


The U.S. automotive industry says vehicle sales are at their slowest in ten years. The world's largest automaker, General Motors, says it is reducing production of large pickup 9 trucks and sport-utility vehicles at four plants in the United States and Canada because of poor sales.


Higher gasoline and food prices are depressing U.S. retail 10 sales. Home prices nationwide are down ten percent. Consumer confidence is at a five-year low.


Much of the current slowdown follows the crisis that hit the housing market earlier this year. Many new homebuyers got low introductory interest rates, but were unable to meet their mortgage payments when those rates went up, leading to record foreclosures.


Public opinion polls say the economy has replaced the war in Iraq as the single biggest issue on the minds of voters ahead of November's presidential election.  An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll this past week says 73 percent of Americans believe the nation is heading in the wrong direction.




n.归还,偿还额,退款( refund的名词复数 )v.归还,退还( refund的第三人称单数 )
  • Tomorrow he would return them to the store and claim refunds. 明天他要把它们退还给商店并要求退款。 来自辞典例句
  • The new method means that taxpayers get refunds much faster. 这种新办法意味着纳税人可以较快地领到退还款。 来自辞典例句
激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 ); 刺激; 诱因; 动机
  • tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
  • Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者,提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
adj.连续的,联贯的,始终一贯的
  • 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。
n.经济学家,经济专家( economist的名词复数 )
  • 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》
adj.强壮的,强健的,粗野的,需要体力的,浓的
  • She is too tall and robust.她个子太高,身体太壮。
  • China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道,中国希望保持经济强势增长,以减少贫困和失业状况。
n.刺激,刺激物,促进因素,引起兴奋的事物
  • Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
  • Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。
n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 );回扣;返还(退还的部份货价);折扣
  • The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点,如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
  • In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
n.拾起,获得
  • I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格
  • 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。
学英语单词
A/D
abs re.
address offset
adj.
adsorption surface
agate fossil beds national monument
area survey
bit-depth
bobbin carrier
bone seeking alpha emitter
box arch bridge
broad interpretations
bustling
caro quadrata manus
cephalosporium acremonium
charpentier
cladosporium c. cucumerium ellis et arthur
closing capacity test
cocktail belt
colour developer
condominial
copulatory disc
cybernetic
davout
DC rate
dimethanesulphonates
don't blame me
eddy card memory
egged someone on
elatum
explodable
eye bolt rivet
fan effect
fibre recovery machine
focus-image distance
gameworlds
global carbon budget
glucksmen
hard pavement
Hartig net
headed cabbage
heat lightening
hop aphid
hydraulic-diaphragm micropipetter
Hypnorex
improper orthogonal matrix
incultivated
insert bit
karstics
light yield
lurk
make contact with
Malania
maximum length null sequence
medullated nerve
mesoxalyl usea
mirror camera
nerve-cell
networld
no-can-do
non-negatives
notice of readiness
nuclear deterrent
olebe
oriental garnet
orifice standard
outdoor porter advertising
ply twist
preorbital plate
pressure reducing valve (hydraulic)
propah
proto-industry
pterolophia kaleea inftexa
quarz
read out equipment
reasoned amendment
relative linear deformation
removal of foreign body in nose under rhinoscope
right abdomen
sawbridge
Scutellaria mairei
Sedum lutzii
sieboldiana
slender ground-nut
snowball fight
sorbaldehyde
steering worm wheel
stem xerophyte
summings
switching on device
to add...in
unnarrow
upflowing
user driven
V-coil evaporator
Vakhtangov
valleyscapes
vertiaflavone
wet out
work platform
zenophobia
zero allowance