英语专四 新闻听力 news 4-4-3

 新闻

Questions 25 to 27 are based on the following news.

(25/26) Economists² and U. S. officials had almost identical reactions to a Labor³ Department report that American employers cut 467,000 jobs in June.

Jack⁴ Albin is chief investment officer at Chicago-based Harris Private Bank. “Clearly，this month’s report is a setback⁵.” Cristina Romer heads President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors⁶. “This is certainly a setback.” Both Ablin and Romer appeared on Bloomberg Television.

(26) Last month’s job cuts total exceeded most economists’ expectations by more than 100，000. But the one-point percent jump in the unemployment rate from May was more modest than had been anticipated. June’s job cuts reversed a trend of lower month-by-month losses in the U. S. economy. May saw just more than 300，000 jobs eliminated，down sharply from more than 500,000 in April.

Although June’s total was higher than the number recorded in May, both figures are significantly lower than job-loss totals recorded at the beginning of the year—a fact Romer was quick to point out. “Back in December, January, February and March, we were losing close to 700，000 jobs a month. So, obviously any time you lose even one job, it's a tragedy. We have seen some diminution⁷.”

But even if the U. S. economy is losing jobs at a slower pace than half a year ago, the overall unemployment picture remains⁸ bleak⁹, according to Stuart Hoffman, chief economist¹ at PNC Financial Services Group.

America’s true unemployment rate may，in fact, be higher than the number provided by the Labor Department, which does not include people who searched for work in vain and have given up，or those who settled for part-time work. (27) If both categories are added, the unemployment rate would top 16%，the highest number in 15 years.

 

题目

News 4

Questions 25 to 27 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item，you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.

Now, listen to the news.

25. Economists and U. S. officials had almost_____ reactions to a Labor Department report that American employers cut 467,000 jobs in June.

A. identified B. the same

C. the opposite D. the alternative

26. How many job cuts did most economists expect last month?

A. 100,000. B. 300,000. C. 367,000. D. 500,000.

27. If both categories are added, the unemployment rate would top_____, the highest number in ______years.

A. 15%； 16 B. 16%； 15 C. 15% ； 60 D. 16%； 50

 

答案解析

25B词义题。本题考查identical的含义，意为“相同的”，故选择B。

26C计算题。根据对新闻的理解，6月份工作岗位削减了 46.7万个，比经济学家预 计的多了 10万，故经济学家预计的岗位削减数为36.7万个，故选C。

27B细节题。本题考查数字中-ty与-teen的区别，答案为B。

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

6 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 diminution   

n.减少；变小

参考例句：

• They hope for a small diminution in taxes.他们希望捐税能稍有减少。
• He experienced no diminution of his physical strength.他并未感觉体力衰落。

8 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。

9 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。