VOA标准英语2008年-US Economic Growth Expands at Slow Pace

The U.S. economy continues to expand at a slow pace, according to the latest growth figures provided by the federal government. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports.

The Commerce Department says the U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 1.9 percent from April through June, up from 0.9 percent in the first quarter of the year.

For a nation that has teetered perilously¹ close to a recession for nearly a year, the uptick in economic activity is welcome. But economist² Desmond Lachman, a resident scholar at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, sees the gross domestic product figure as disappointing given federal attempts to stimulate³ the economy, including billions of dollars in tax rebate⁴ checks sent out earlier this year.

"What one had expected was that the economy would get some boost from a tax rebate program. The numbers on consumer spending show that consumption did, indeed, grow, but it only grew at 1.5 percent," he said. "And the question is: what happens now, once the tax rebate begins to fade?"

The Commerce Department also revised downward previous growth estimates from the final quarter of last year, saying the economy actually contracted slightly, by 0.2 percent on an annual basis.

Lachman says the U.S. economy is confronting the most challenging conditions seen in decades, and that Americans should consider themselves fortunate that the nation has yet to slip into a full-blown recession.

"The headwinds faced by the U.S. economy are enormous. Not only do we have an oil price shock, but there is a housing market bust⁵ that has no parallel in the last 70 years. And there is a credit crunch⁶ that [former Federal Reserve Chairman] Alan Greenspan himself describes as the most wrenching⁷ crunch this nation has had in the post-war period. This does look like a perfect economic storm, and we certainly should be grateful that the economy has held up," he said.

Earlier this week, the White House released projections⁸ of massive federal deficits⁹ for this year as well as 2009. Economists¹⁰ say the budgetary crunch will give the current administration, as well as the next president, limited leeway to further stimulate the economy.

One bright spot on the economic landscape: U.S. exports are booming amid a weak dollar that makes American products cheaper abroad. U.S. exports grew at a 9.2 percent pace in the second quarter, following a 5.1 percent rise in the first three months of the year.

 

 

1 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

4 rebate   

v./n.折扣，回扣，退款；vt.给...回扣，给...打折扣

参考例句：

• You can claim a rebate on your tax.你可以要求退回部分税款。
• Customers are to benefit from a rebate on their electricity bills.顾客将从他们的电费退费中得到实惠。

5 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

6 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

7 wrenching   

n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. 中国经历了一系列艰苦的变革和试验。 来自辞典例句
• A cold gust swept across her exposed breast, wrenching her back to reality. 一股寒气打击她的敞开的胸膛，把她从梦幻的境地中带了回来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

8 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

9 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

10 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》