英语听力精选进阶版 16429

 

Business Matters: Fed says farewell to QE 30 Oct 14

Thu, 30 Oct 14

The US Federal Reserve finally says farewell to its economic stimulus¹ programme, quantitative² easing. But after spending $3.5tr - we ask whether the US saved the global economy. Iraq's war against the militants³ of so-called Islamic State is costing it dear, not just in blood and territory but also economically. The BBC's Andrew Hosken has been investigating Iraq's growing financial crisis. We also hear from the founder⁴ of an app that pays you to video your neighbourhood - but is it sinister⁵ or revolutionary? Plus, we speak to the amateur photographer who took a stunning⁶ picture of a rainbow from her seat on an aeroplane. She wanted to know if it was a trick of the light - or if there might be a pot of gold at the end of it. We asked a professor of meteorology who explains all. Presenter Roger Hearing is joined throughout the programme by two guests - David Weinberg of Marketplace - who's in Los Angeles and the economist Yoko Ishikura, joining us from Tokyo

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 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

6 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。