澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-10-02

Standard & Poor's has lowered New Zealand's credit rating one notch¹ to AA. The ratings agency says it's because of the country's high external debts and the cost of rebuilding after the Christ Church earthquake. In a statement, Standard & Poor's says the move follows an assessment² of the likelihood that New Zealand's external position will deteriorate³ further. It came just hours after the Fitch Ratings Agency issued a similar downgrade. 

 

Shoppers are being warned they could be charged a new fee when using eftpos at the cash register from today. Retailers⁴ will have to pay a small fee for every purchase of 15 dollars plus paid with a credit card. Consumer group Choice says the cost is so small that there is no need for retailers to pass it onto consumers. 

 

To the market numbers, local shares finished flat, marking the biggest quarterly falls since the Lehman Brothers collapse⁵ three years ago. Japan's Nikkei also finished the season flat, elsewhere in the region, markets are weaker. European stocks have slid on doubts about the effectiveness of another eurozone bailout fund. In the US markets ended down. The Dow Jones lost 241 points.

1 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

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 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。