VOA标准英语2008年-Asia Stocks Fall on US Financial Concerns

Fears over the extent of U.S. financial woes¹ have rattled² Asian markets, despite U.S. government attempts to shore up investor³ confidence. Heda Bayron reports from Hong Kong.
　
Woman walks by electronic stock board in downtown Tokyo, 15 Jul 2008, as Japanese shares fell sharply

Stocks in Asia fell sharply Tuesday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index plummeted⁴ nearly four percent, while Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell two percent to its lowest level in more than three months.

Across Asia, analysts⁵ say investors⁶ dumped shares, worried about the health of the U.S. financial sector⁷ and its effect on Asian companies.

Kingston Lin, associate director at Prudential Brokerage in Hong Kong, says the U.S. government's move to help troubled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed to dispel⁸ those fears.

"It's useless, because the confidence is not coming back. So I think the market will continue to drop," he said.

The two lenders hold or guarantee about half the outstanding mortgages in the United States.

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury⁹ Department promised short-term funding and other aid Sunday.

Shares in Asian banks were big decliners Tuesday, as investors feared possible exposure to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae debt.

Japan's biggest banks, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group, both dropped about five percent. Japanese media reported that the two banks hold significant amounts of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bonds.

Shares in China's biggest bank, ICBC, also declined more than five percent.

Taiwan's weighted index closed four and a half percent lower to a 22-month low. Taiwan financial institutions hold an estimated $23 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds.

South Korea's KOSPI fell 3.2 percent, to its lowest close in 15 months.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Department Secretary Henry Paulson are to testify before Congress Tuesday on the current financial turmoil¹⁰.

　

 

1 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

2 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

3 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

4 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 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。

8 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。