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　　The U.S. Labor¹ Department reports the unemployment rate in the United States rose last month to 8.9 percent. It was the highest rate since 1983, but the number of jobs lost was not as large as expected.
美国劳工部报告称，上个月美国的失业率升至8.9%。这是1983年以来美国最高的失业率。但是，当月失去的工作职位并不像预期的那么多。
The commissioner² of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Keith Hall, presented the Labor Department report to the Joint³ Economic Committee.
美国劳工部统计局专员基思.霍尔向国会联合经济委员会陈述了劳工部的报告。
"This was another bad report. There was a significant deterioration⁴ in the labor market again. The job loss is large, it is widespread, it is affecting every industry sector⁵ and every demographic group," he said.
“这是又一份糟糕的报告。劳工市场明显恶化。失去的工作职位数量之大，范围之广，正影响着每一个工业部门和每一个年龄阶段。”
Some 539,000 jobs were lost in April, bringing the total number of unemployed⁶ to 13.7 million, up from 13.2 million in March.
4月份共失去了大约53万9千个工作机会，使总的失业人口从3月份得1320万人增加到了1370万人。
But the number of job losses were the fewest in the past six months, tempered in part by the federal government's hiring of temporary workers to prepare for the U.S. census⁷ next year.
但这个数据是过去六个月来失业人数单月增加最少的一次。新增失业人数减少的部分原因是由于联邦政府正在雇用临时工为美国明年的人口普查做准备。
Commissioner Hall says the slowdown in layoffs⁸ could be, as he put it, "a glimmer⁹ of hope" that the economy could be improving.
霍尔说，失去就业机会的速度放缓，显示出了经济可能正在改善的“一丝希望的曙光”。
"That looks like a moderation, but it's only one month," he cautioned.
“看起来是在减速，不过只是一个月。”
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat¹⁰ who chaired the hearing, said the Labor Department report underscores the need for continued government assistance.
来自明尼苏达州的民主党参议员艾米.克洛布查尔主持了这次听证会。她说，劳工部的报告凸显了政府继续提供援助的必要性。
"It is a testament¹¹ to making sure unemployment compensation is available, making sure we are looking out for people who have lost their jobs," she said.
“这是个实证，证明我们必须确保人们都可以得到失业补偿，确保那些失去工作的人们得到照顾。”
Republicans used the report to criticize the policies of the Democratic majority in Congress and the Obama administration.
共和党人利用这份报告对国会多数党民主党以及奥巴马政府提出批评。
Congressman¹² Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, said in a statement that the Democrats¹³ continue to increase government intervention¹⁴ in the free market, taking away incentives¹⁵ to create jobs.
来自维吉尼亚州的共和党议员埃里克.坎托在一份声明中说，民主党持续干预自由市场，打消了人们创造工作机会的动力。