英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-11-20

 Home owners shouldn't be expecting a rate cut anytime soon if the minutes from the Reserve Bank's November meeting are anything to go by. Some economists¹ say the wording could still mean a cut could be up to 12 months away, but the minutes make a fairly positive assessment² of the economy. They indicate a pickup³ in the housing market is lifting consumer confidence. 

 

To the markets which has closed low in almost every sector⁴ today. 

 

The ASX 200 and All Ordinaries have both finished the day around a third of a per cent lower. In Asia, the Nikkei is trading around a(口误) 12 points higher, lower, while the Hang Seng has been buoyed⁵ with some optimism out of China. 

 

And in the currency, the Australian dollar is buying 93.87 US cents. 

 

A new report's found the pay packets of women are still lagging behind their male colleagues, despite some girls doing better at school. The study on equity⁶ for the council of Australian government has made the findings. It's revealed female graduates still enter the workforce⁷ on a salary around 5,000 dollars less than the men they went to school with. They also obtain a more advanced qualifications under the age of 30.

1 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》

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 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

4 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。

5 buoyed   

v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神

参考例句：

• Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success. 在昨天胜利的鼓舞下，该队有信心再次获胜。
• His encouragement buoyed her up during that difficult period. 他的鼓励使她在那段困难时期恢复了乐观的情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

7 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。