英语听力精选进阶版 15529

 

Business Matters: US Fed stimulus¹ slowdown 19 Dec 13

Thu, 19 Dec 13

The US central bank is to scale back its massive programme of economic stimulus. The Federal Reserve has announced that it'll spend 10 billion dollars less every month. So what will that mean for both the American and global economies? Plus: as authorities in Brussels reveal new plans to combat air pollution ... we take you to Europe's dirtiest city - and ask what the changes will do to encourage industry to clean up its act. And the Russian parliament has passed an amnesty law that should see the release of Greenpeace activists² arrested in September for disrupting Russia's oil exploration in the Arctic. All that plus discussion with two guests on opposite sides of the pacific - Nisid Hajari is the Asia Editor for Bloomberg View in Singapore, and Anthony Bruce is with the retail³ consultants⁴ APT in New York.

1 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。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。