英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-09-08

 The Australian share market has reversed earlier gains. Right now, the All Ordinaries index is down around half of a per cent, as is the ASX 200 index. The banks are weaker. Insurance, like QBE insurance, are on the rise. Mining stocks are down. The gold miner Newcrest is off around 3 per cent. And Telstra is also on a decline. Across the region, Japan's Nikkei has shed more than  one per cent, but stocks in Hong Kong are edging up. And in the US, strong employment and business activity figures pointed¹ to resilience in the US economy. And added to the case, the US Federal Reserve will taper² stimulus³ later this month. As a result, the Australian dollar has been falling against the strengthening greenback. But it's making some ground this afternoon to 91.31 US cents.

 

And building activity is still weak, Alicia.

 

That's right. The Housing Industry Association says rising house prices should start to boost residential⁴ construction by the end of the year. The latest performance of construction index by the ANI Group and the Housing Industry Association slipped to a reading of 43.7 for August. The survey shows the construction sector⁵ has now been in decline for more than three years. But the HIA says builders are reporting increased confidence among home buyers.

 

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 taper   

n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小

参考例句：

• You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
• Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

3 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• 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。

4 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。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• 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。