VOA标准英语2013 US Senate OKs Yellen as Fed Chief 美国参议院任命耶伦为美联储主席

 

US Senate OKs Yellen as Fed Chief 美国参议院任命耶伦为美联储主席 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Janet Yellen as the new head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, making her the first woman to head the central bank for the world's largest economy.  She replaces Ben Bernanke who is leaving the post at the end of the month. 

Economists² are predicting that economics professor and Federal Reserve vice³ chair Janet Yellen will continue many of Ben Bernanke's efforts to boost the economy.  Both have called for a gradual end of the central bank’s multibillion-dollar program to keep interest rates low and stimulate⁴ the economy.

President Obama says Yellen is tough and effective.

“She sounded the alarm early about the housing bubble, about excesses in the financial sector⁵ and about the risks of a major recession.  She doesn’t have a crystal ball, but what she does have is a keen understanding of how markets and the economy work - not just in theory but in the real world," said President Obama.

Yellen has written extensively about the causes and impact of unemployment, and some analysts⁶ say she may put even more emphasis on creating jobs.

"Too many Americans still cannot find a job and worry how they'll pay their bills and provide for their families," said Yellen.

Unemployment hit 10 percent during the recession, and has now fallen to 7 percent, but that number is still above its historic average.

Economists say Yellen will likely continue Bernanke's policies of holding short-term interest rates close to zero by using the Fed's massive program of buying securities.

The U.S. central bank has been buying $85 billion in securities every month, to pump more money into the economy and make it easier for businesses and individuals to borrow. But economists say that stimulus⁷ must end eventually, to avoid sparking inflation that could damage the economy.  

“I believe that supporting the recovery today is the surest path to returning to a more normal approach to monetary⁸ policy," said Yellen.

Yellen once headed the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Former president Bill Clinton named her head of his Council of Economic Advisers⁹ in 1997. The 67-year-old economist¹ is professor emeritus¹⁰ of the University of California at Berkeley, where she has been on the faculty¹¹ for decades. 

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 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

8 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

9 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

10 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

11 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。