VOA常速英语2013--加州成为美国经济复苏亮点

 

California a Bright Spot in US Economic Recovery 加州成为美国经济复苏亮点

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. economy is slowly improving from the recession of 2008-2009.  Industries like construction are doing well, but unemployment remains¹ stubbornly high throughout the United States.  California is a bright spot, growing at a rate above the national average, but as in other states, the recovery is uneven².

Realtor Rosalie Andersen adjusts the "for sale" sign in front of a white stucco home in a quiet neighborhood near Los Angeles.  She hopes the house will sell for more than a million dollars, and says the real estate market is on an upswing.

房地产经纪人罗莎莉·安德森希望房子能卖出超过一百万美元,并且表示房地产市场在上升之中。

“It's kind of puzzling.  We talk in the office, and we're just wondering, where are these people getting all this cash from?  But I think what a lot of people are doing is that they're finally realizing that your best investment for money is a home," said Andersen.

“这有点令人费解。我们在办公室里有过谈论,只是想知道,这些人的全部现金从哪而来?但是我想很多人做的是他们最终意识到你的最佳资金投资是一套房子,”安德森说道。

California grew last year at 3.5 percent, a full percentage point above the national average.  

加州去年增长了3.5%,高于全国平均水平。

But the reality on the ground varies from place to place.  

但现实是因地而异。

The ports, one of the drivers of the local economy, are busier, says economist³ Robert Kleinhenz of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

其中地方经济一个来源的港口会更为繁忙,洛杉矶郡经济发展公司经济学家罗伯特·克莱恩兹说道。

“We're still well below the pre-recession peak levels of port activity that we had seen in 2007," he said. "We've seen some slight gains with each passing year, but there still is quite a ways to go."

“我们的港口活动仍然远低于危机前2007年的峰值水平,”他说道。“虽然我们每过一年都有轻微涨幅,但仍然有相当长的发展之路。"

In downtown Los Angeles, the Chinese immigrant owner of a small business that sells T-shirts and slippers⁴ says he is doing well.  Nearby, Henry Wong sells low-cost decorations and fabrics⁵ imported China.  When sales are slow, he works with fewer employees.

在洛杉矶市中心, 这位中国移民表示自己的一家销售T恤和拖鞋的小型企业生意很不错。附近,亨利·王销售进口中国的低成本的装饰和面料。当销售呈现颓势,他就与更少的员工一起工作。

“It's easier for me because the overhead is low.  And I work by myself too.  Sometimes, in the case that the economy is no good, we work more," said Wong.

“对我来说很简单,因为开销低。而且我自己也工作。有时,在经济不好的情况下,我们会加倍努力工作,”王说道。

Today, he's doing well.  A half dozen employees are busy in his retail⁶ store, and more are at work in his warehouse⁷.

现今他的生意兴隆。6名员工正在他的零售商店里忙碌,而更多人则在他的仓库里工作。

High-tech⁸ companies are helping⁹ to drive the U.S. recovery, but even in Silicon¹⁰ Valley, California's high-tech center, the picture is mixed.  Cisco, despite good sales, is cutting 4,000 jobs to adapt to a changing market.

高科技公司正在帮助推动美国经济复苏,但即使是加州硅谷的高科技中心,情况也不尽相同。思科尽管销售良好,但正在削减4000个工作岗位以适应不断变化的市场。

The leisure and hospitality sector¹¹ is hiring, and banking¹² and professional services are also doing well.  California's $44 billion farming industry helps feed the nation and is growing.  The state's unemployment rate is 8.7 percent, down from over 12 percent three years ago.  The jobless rate across the United States is 7.4 percent, and those numbers are also improving.

休闲及酒店行业正在进行招聘,而银行和专业服务势头也十分良好。加州的440亿美元农业产业帮助养活全国而且也在增长。这个州的失业率为8.7%,低于三年前的12%。而美国的失业率呈现7.4%,这些数字也在提高。

They are still not where they should be, says economist Robert Kleinhenz.

但它们仍然没有处于应有的位置,经济学家罗伯特·克莱恩兹说道。

“The unemployment rate has been coming down. GDP has been growing.  The problem is, they continue to tell us that the economy is growing at a slower pace than we would really like to see," he said.

“失业率一直下降。国内生产总值一直增长。然而问题是他们继续告诉我们经济增长速度要慢于我们真正想看到的,”他说道。

Disappointing U.S. sales figures released this month by Wal-Mart, the nation's top retailer¹³, show the economy still has a way way to go, even in states like California. 

本月由美国顶级零售商沃尔玛公布的数字令人对美国的销售倍感失望,显示即使在像加州这样的州经济仍需漫长发展之路。

1 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。

2 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

3 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。

4 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

5 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

11 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。

12 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

13 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。