VOA标准英语2009-US Weekly Jobless Claims Drop More Than Expe

Mil Arcega | Washington 25 November 2009

 
Shoppers in a U.S. store

The number of newly laid-off U.S. workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week.  A report Wednesday from the Labor¹ Department shows 466,000 workers signed up to receive unemployment compensation.  That's the lowest level in more than a year and a possible sign the U.S. economy is on the mend.

For the first time this year, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell below 500,000.  Personal incomes rose modestly for a second straight month, and consumer spending picked up in October.

In California, where unemployment is 12.5 percent, career counselor² Loree Levy³ says the state added 26,000 new jobs.

"We're also seeing big job gains in employment services, the temporary job types of hiring," said Loree Levy. "That's usually an early indicator⁴ of an economic recovery."

But in Los Angeles, the long line of people waiting for free food for the Thanksgiving holiday tells a different story.  Those who camped here overnight say the hard times are far from over.

"I told my sister it's going to be like this cause a lot of people is out of work right now," said a woman.

"No work," said a man. "There's no jobs.  People are getting laid off.  People losing their houses."

Some fear the sharp improvement in jobless claims and consumer spending may be temporary. 
Economist⁵ Gus Faucher at Moody's Economy.com says the U.S. job market remains⁶ bleak⁷. 

"It's just a very difficult environment for people and it's really not going to get a whole lot better probably for another half year or so," said Gus Faucher.

With the jobless rate likely to top 10.5 percent by 2010, economists⁸ expect the recovery to be sluggish⁹.  Some worry the uncertainty¹⁰ will cause consumers to cut back on spending just as the crucial holiday shopping season begins.
Still, economists predict holiday sales will be up slightly over last year.

"The good news is that the recession is over and the economy is expanding," he said. "We're seeing that in almost all of the numbers.'

Fueling some of the optimism is a six percent increase in home sales last month.
Economists say the collapse¹¹ of the U.S. housing market was a key factor that led to the worst financial crisis in decades.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

3 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

4 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

5 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。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

8 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》

9 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

10 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

11 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。