U.S. Fed sees better economic situation at end of 2010

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. economy ended last year on an encouraging note, as economic activity continued to expand moderately（适度地） from November through December, according to the latest Federal Reserve survey（调查） released on Wednesday.
    The snapshot of economic conditions found that most of the 12 Fed districts noted¹ that the economy "improved" or "increased modestly to moderately."The survey, known as the Beige Book, was based on economic information supplied by the Fed's 12 regional banks and collected during the reporting period from early/mid November to December.
    The U.S. central bank reported that conditions were generally said to be better in Districts' manufacturing, retail², and nonfinancial services sectors³（部门） than in financial services or real estate.
    The report also found that consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the overall economy, "showed improvement across all Districts," with most retailers⁴ reporting sales growth consistent with or ahead of plan for the recent 2010 holiday season.
    Activity of nonfinancial services was reported to be steady to increasing across the country. But housing market remained depressed⁵, with activity in residential⁶ real estate and new home construction remaining slow across all Districts.
    The survey found that most parts of the country felt the increasing prevalence of cost pressures, but only saw modest pass-through into final prices because of competitive pressure.
    The Fed noted that labor⁷ markets in most Districts are gradually improving, and "employment levels are rising in at least some sectors, generally by modest amounts."The Fed has been keeping its federal funds rates at a historically low level of zero to 0.5 percent since December 2008. And the central bank announced last November that it would buy an additional 600 billion dollars in Treasury⁸ bonds over the next eight months to help lower interest rates and spur the economy.
    Many economists⁹ expect that the U.S. economy will grow at a faster pace this year compared with that of 2010.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 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。

3 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

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》