voa标准英语2008-World Markets Edge Higher
时间：2019-01-31 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年(十二月)
The latest economic data shows further contraction 2 of America's service sector 3, the slashing 4 of 250,000 private-sector jobs in November, and reduced productivity gains in the United States, which is now believed to have been in a recession since the end of 2007.
Chrysler is one of the US auto 5 companies seeking a federal loan
The deteriorating 6 economy has further strained America's already-struggling automobile 7 industry. The biggest of the top three U.S. carmakers, General Motors, says without immediate 8 government assistance, it could face bankruptcy 9 in coming weeks.
General Motors, Ford 10 and Chrysler are asking for a total of $34 billion in federal loans, and have pledged to cut costs and restructure operations to restore long-term viability 11.
The Bush administration, which has opposed extending federal assistance beyond a $25 billion government loan originally intended to foster the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles, is taking a wait-and-see approach to the carmakers' pleas for help.
"We want to make sure that a company is viable 12, so that if the American taxpayers 13 help the automakers now, that they do not have to help them again in six months because the plans did not work. We have said that we want to try to help the automakers. But we need to look at each of them and see if what we would be able to support could actually be a good investment fort the taxpayers, and we just do not know that yet," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
Auto executives are to testify on Capitol Hill later this week for the second time in as many weeks. Tuesday, the carmakers reported sales in November that were down as much as 47 percent from a year ago.
"The pace of deterioration 15 [of sales] has actually accelerated. Weakness in the first quarter [of 2008], more weakness in the second quarter, significantly more weakness in the third quarter, then October and November were the worst levels we have seen post-World War II," said General Motors Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson.
But industry analysts 17 say, even if car sales were better, U.S. manufacturers would still be losing money because the cost of producing each vehicle exceeds what they can charge to sell them.
Carmakers need to cut costs, and that means securing significant wage and benefits concessions 18 from the United Auto Workers union, according to analyst 16 Rebecca Lindland of the forecasting firm Global Insight.
"This [bailout of the auto industry] is not going to really work without getting some kind of flexibility 19 from the UAW. These companies could go bankrupt, and then the union is powerless. So they have to give concessions," he said.
Democratic congressional leaders have said it would be unacceptable for the U.S. auto industry, the backbone 20 of American manufacturing, to fail. What is yet to be decided 21 is whether emergency government funds would come from a $700 billion financial rescue package Congress approved in October.
The Treasury 22 Department has spent nearly half of those funds to prop 23 up banks, mortgage and investment firms, and insurance companies.
At a news conference, President-elect Barack Obama said he wants to see federal assistance go beyond rescuing financial corporations and provide relief to Americans who are in danger of losing their homes.
"We have got to start helping 24 homeowners, in a serious way, to prevent foreclosures. The deteriorating assets in the financial markets are rooted in the deterioration of people being able to pay their mortgages and stay in their homes. And if we help Main Street, ultimately we are going to help Wall Street," he said.
Mr. Obama spoke 14 after announcing the latest member of his economic team, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who he nominated to be commerce secretary.
Major markets in Asia and Europe all closed moderately higher.
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
- The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
- The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。
- 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。
- Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
- He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句
- Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
- The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
- The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
- I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
- His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
- We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
- You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
- His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。
- They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
- If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。
- What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
- Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。
- The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
- The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
- Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
- She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
- Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
- The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- 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。
- The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
- The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。
- Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
- The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。
- The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
- The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- 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。
- 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。