VOA标准英语2013--美国的失业率下降至7.3%,但雇佣步伐放缓

 

US Unemployment Falls to 7.3 Percent, But Hiring Pace Slows 美国的失业率下降至7.3%,但雇佣步伐放缓

WASHINGTON — Slower than expected jobs growth in August is likely to weigh on the U.S. central bank’s decision to scale back its monetary¹ stimulus² program. U.S. unemployment fell to 7.3 percent in August, the lowest in nearly five years. The Bureau of Labor³ Statistics says even though 169,000 jobs were added in August, fewer jobs were added in June and July than previously⁴ thought.

U.S. companies are still hiring, but theyre adding new jobs at a slower pace than many had hoped.

Cary Leahy at Decision Economics said the job market is the weakest its been in 12 months. Momentum has really slipped. Four months ago the average job gain over three months was 200,000 workers per month. It's fallen to 150,000.

The good news is that unemployment is now at pre-recession levels. The bad news is more Americans have given up looking for work.  

Robert Bixby at the Concord⁵ Coalition⁶ said thats especially true for those who have been unemployed⁷ six months or longer.  

One of the most troubling aspects is not just the number of unemployed, but the number of people that are finding it very difficult to get back into the workforce, said Bixby.

Its a structural⁸ problem that has led to the lowest job participation⁹ rate in 35 years.

Economic analysts¹⁰ say automatic spending cuts and higher taxes enacted¹¹ earlier this year have aggravated¹² the problem. Joseph Gagnon at the Peterson Institute said the so-called sequester¹³ has been a drag on U.S. growth.

That has held us back. So that has meant, instead of a great year, were just having a sort of so-so year - not a very good year, but not bad; just sort of mediocre¹⁴, said Gagnon.

That mediocre job growth could force the U.S. Federal Reserve to rethink how how fast it scales back policies that have kept long-term interest rates at record lows.

Economist¹⁵ Cary Leahy said the job numbers may be reason enough to delay plans to wind down bond purchases worth $85 billion a month. Even though the Fed may still surprise us and decide to begin tapering¹⁶ this month, this is basically a major reason not to do that."

Not everyone is concerned. A recent survey of new business owners shows confidence at its highest level in more than a year.

Dane Stangler, director of research for the Kauffman/Legal Zoom¹⁷ Confidence Index, said, "One, people are starting businesses, two among the people who are starting businesses, theyre highly confident about one, their own business prospects¹⁸ and two, about the wider direction of the economy.

Bright spots include the manufacturing sector¹⁹, which added 14,000 jobs after five months of declines.  

The average number of hours worked per week also ticked higher in August - a sign that companies need more labor. 

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

8 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

9 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

10 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。

11 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

12 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

13 sequester   

vt.使退隐，使隔绝

参考例句：

• Everything he owned was sequestered.他的所有财产都被扣押了。
• This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months.预计这个陪审团将至少被隔离两个月。

14 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

15 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。

16 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

17 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

18 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

19 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。