英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2014-04-02

 The Reserve Bank has made it clear that interests rate will stay on hold for some time, despite a record growth in house prices and the re-surge in  dollar. Economist¹ Soul Eslake explains.

 

“It's really only the housing sector² that's showing any particular sign of strength.  Outside of that, the Reserve Bank acknowledged yesterday there's no sign of a pick-up outside the mining sector.  Consumer spending has been a little stronger in recent months, but it's hard to say that's been sustained.  The income growth is going to be low. And we're going to have a sort of budget that Joe Hockey has been warning that what's it may be like. So you just have got this small area of strength in the housing. It will, I think, a very bad thing if the rest of the economy were to be held hostage by the difficulties that people have..... finding in obtaining housing.”

 

Soul Eslake there.  Let's go to the markets.

 

And Wall Street ended the session higher after strong manufacturing data lifted confidence about the US economy. In London overnight, the FTSE put on 54. 

 

To commodity prices.

 

West Texas Crude is trading at 100 US dollars a barrel. Tapis is 111 US dollars a barrel. And gold, here it is, is trading at 1,279 US dollars an ounce.

 

To the currencies. 

 

The Australian dollar is buying 92.4 US cents, 67 Euro cents and 56 pence sterling³.

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 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。

3 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。