VOA标准英语2013--美联储主席的几位人选

 

Considering a New Head for the US Fed 美联储主席的几位人选

WASHINGTON  The economist¹ who guided the world's largest economy through the worst financial crisis in decades is expected to step down early next year.  The financial press is filled with speculation² about who will take over from Ben Bernanke, the current chairman of the Federal Reserve, as the U.S central bank is known. There are many possible candidates, but most of the speculation focuses on just two.

President Obama appointed Ben Bernanke to a second term as head of the Federal Reserve in 2009.

To fight the recession, Bernanke took unprecedented³ steps to cut interest rates in a bid to boost economic growth, which came slowly.  

Now, as his term ends, an online Irish betting site "Paddy Power" is taking wagers⁴ on who might replace Bernanke. 

One contender is the Feds current vice⁵ chairman, Janet Yellen, a former economics professor at Berkeley who headed the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and was an economic adviser⁶ to the White House.

Bets are also being placed on former U.S. Treasury⁷ Secretary, one-time presidential economic adviser and former president of Harvard University, Larry Summers.  

Critics say Summers is too abrasive⁸ to win consensus⁹ among top fed officials.

But LaSalle University finance professor Walter Schubert says Summers' toughness might help get economic and budget decisions out of the bickering¹⁰ Congress.

"Well, the best argument for Larry Summers, I think, is his personality. Hes driven, he wants to have an impact and I think he would put a lot of pressure on Congress. I think hed be excellent at pressuring Congress to move in the proper direction," said Schubert.

Rival Janet Yellen is seen by some experts as doing less to push Congress, but more to regulate the economy.

Abby McCloskey researches economic issues at the American Enterprise Institute and says Yellens long experience at the fed would reassure¹¹ investors¹².

She is predictable. The markets know what she thinks. When she gets in there, no surprises, no wild cards. We have enough wild cards in the rest of the economy, says McCloskey.

Michael Cox, a former chief economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, who is now at Southern Methodist University, says Yellen is a strong candidate. 

"She is a very good economist in my opinion, more seasoned and more reasoned and more experienced in the fed," says Cox.

But Cox adds that both Yellen and Summers are too quick to meddle¹³ in the economy.

Said Dawlabani, author of a book that advocates a new approach to economics, says it's time to put more women in charge of large companies and major financial institutions.

Because women see the bottom line through the lens of care and responsibility, their leadership style is different than men. Men have to learn to use emotional intelligence; women are naturally equipped with these soft skills," says Dawlabani.

Dawlabani adds that companies and countries would be more prosperous if they focused less on next quarters profits and more on the impact that a company has on society, the environment, suppliers, customers and employees.

Choosing the right approach and the right candidate is up to the president, and the candidate must be confirmed by the Senate.

While most news stories focus on just two candidates, Obama has made appointments in the past that were a surprise to most economists¹⁴. 

1 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。

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 wagers   

n.赌注，用钱打赌( wager的名词复数 )v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的第三人称单数 )；保证，担保

参考例句：

• He wagers $100 on the result of the election. 他用100美元来对选举结果打赌。 来自互联网
• He often wagers money on horses. 他时常在马身上赌钱。 来自互联网

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 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。

8 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

10 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

12 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

13 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

14 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》