VOA标准英语2009年-Japan's Exports Plunge in January

The Japanese economy continues to be rocked by the global recession. Last month exports plunged¹ and the nation's trade deficit² hit a record high.

Japan's government says exports dropped by nearly 46 percent in January compared with the same period last year. This bad news was coupled by a record trade deficit of $9.9 billion.

Exports make up the backbone³ of Japan's economy. It has been that way since the end of the Second World War and has made the country the financial superpower it is today.

But Robert Dujaric, director of the Institute for Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, explains this reliance on exports is what makes the Japanese economy so vulnerable during this worldwide recession.

"Exports have gone down basically because American consumers, European consumers and now consumers from all over the world just have fewer resources to devote to purchasing Japanese exports," he said.
　
Automobiles⁴ for export are parked at a Yokohama port, south of Tokyo (file photo)

Japan's automakers have all reported a steep decline in exports as demand dries up due to the worsening credit crisis.

And because carmakers, as well as in many other industries, are seeing their profit margins⁵ drop, more and more Japanese workers are losing their jobs. Hundreds of thousands have been laid off in just the past few months.

On Wednesday, several Japanese labor⁶ organizations rallied in Tokyo. They say unsalaried, temporary employees are suffering the worst due to the company cut-backs.

Yasuyo Ohashi, is a member of Women's Union Tokyo. She says female workers are particularly vulnerable.

Ohashi says companies here think that female part-time workers have husbands who will support them, so they don't mine laying them off.

Tokyo is expected to release new unemployment figures later this week.

One bit of good news for Japan's manufacturers is that the Japanese currency continues to lose ground against the U.S. dollar and Euro, making exports cheaper on the global market.

1 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

4 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

6 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。