原版英语小短文 90. A Bad Economy

　　The economy¹ is bad. People are out of work. People are losing their jobs. People are getting laid off. People are getting fired. People want to work. But nobody is hiring² workers. Nobody needs workers. Everyone has less money. Everyone is spending less. Everyone is buying less. Consumers³ are not buying anything extra⁴. They are buying only what they need. They are not buying new cars. They are keeping their old cars. They are not buying new homes. They are staying in their old homes. They are not buying new clothes. They are wearing their old clothes. They are not taking vacations. They are staying home. They are not going to restaurants. They are doing things that are cheap. They go to the library. They go to the park. They go to the museum. They go to the beach. They stay home and watch TV. Life is hard. Life is tough⁵. Everyone hopes the economy will get better soon. They hope the bad times will go away soon.

1 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

2 hiring   

n.雇用，租赁adj.雇用的，租赁的v.聘用( hire的现在分词 )；录用；雇用；租用

参考例句：

• She had to choose between giving up her job or hiring a nanny. 她得在放弃工作和雇保姆之间作出抉择。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most seasonal hiring is done in early October. 大部分季节性招聘在10月初进行。 来自辞典例句

3 consumers   

消费者，顾客( consumer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Consumers are very nervous about the future. 消费者对未来非常忧虑。
• The future of the company will depend crucially on how consumers respond. 这家公司的未来主要取决于消费者的反应。

4 extra   

adj.额外的，外加的；特大的

参考例句：

• We do not ask for extra pay.我们不要求额外报酬。
• You have to pay extra for breakfast.早餐你要另外付费。

5 tough   

adj.坚硬的，咬不动的；棘手的，难办的；强健的，吃苦耐劳的；粗暴的，凶恶的

参考例句：

• The meat was so tough that I simply couldn't get it down.这肉太老了，我简直咽不下去。
• When there's a tough job,he always rushes to do it.什么时候有重活，他都抢着干。