Written VOA Staff, Read by Steve Ember
第一部分、阅读理解
ECONOMICS REPORT - Recession Easing, but Many Americans Still Afraid to Spend
Stock prices took a roller-coaster ride this week -- down one day, up the next. Experts say the situation is likely to continue until investors feel more sure about signs of economic recovery.
Some investors worry that Americans are not doing enough to lift the world's largest economy out of recession. This is back-to-school season. But the National Retail Federation says school-related sales are down from last year.
MOTHER: "I don't want to spend more than twenty dollars for a backpack."
Consumer spending is seventy percent of the economic activity in the United States. But consumer confidence-- a measure of trust in the economy -- fell unexpectedly this month. A lot of people feel uneasy about spending after the longest recession since World War Two.
WOMAN: "My situation is fine, but I am still aware that I could lose my job at anytime, and there's still no definite security. That's why I am paying attention more."
Jobs have continued to disappear, though at slower rates. Record numbers of Americans are in danger of losing their homes. And the days of easy credit are gone. The Treasury Department says lending fell f or a fifth month at banks that received government aid.
Still, some economists say other signs in the economy show that the recession is over already, or will be soon. Then the question is: how fast or how slow will the recovery be?
The recession may also be ending in Japan. Japan has the world's second largest economy. Officials reported this week that the gross domestic product grew
nine-tenths of one percent between April and June. It was the first growth in Japan's economy in fifteen months.
But t here are concerns that Japan and the United States could face a "double-dip" recession. That is a period of growth followed by another downturn. Japan will hold national elections on August thirtieth. Public opinion surveys show the main opposition party in the lead.
In Europe, reports last week showed a year of recession easing in Germany, its largest economy, and in France. Both countries had growth of three-tenths of one percent between April and June. That news raised hopes for an early recovery among the sixteen countries that use the euro.
Still, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund says the effects of the world economic crisis will hurt both supply and demand for years to come. Olivier Blanchard says even after recovery, the global economy may not produce as much as it did before the crisis.
第二部分、词汇句型
『符号说明』在以下词汇讲解中noun 表示名词，verb 表示动词，adj 表示形容词，adv 表示副词，pron表示代词。[C]表示名词是可数的，[U]表示名词是不可数的。OALD表示引用自“牛津高阶英语词典O xford A dvanced L earner's D ictionary”英语原版的词条解释。
e.g.表示例句，sth表示something（某事），sb表示somebody（某人）。
recession【】- noun. 经济衰退
OALD> a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed
e.g.> policies to pull the country out of recession
让国家走出经济衰退的政策
the impact of the current recession on manufacturing
当前经济衰退对制造业的影响
ease【】- verb. 减轻，减缓
OALD> to become or to make sth less unpleasant, painful, severe, etc
e.g.> This should help ease the pain. 这将会帮助减轻疼痛。
The pain immediately eased. 疼痛立即减轻了。
【词汇详解】
（1）ease做动词时，现在分词形式是easing。
e.g.> In Europe, reports last week showed a year of recession easing in Germany.
在欧洲，上周报告显示德国历时一年的经济衰退正在减轻。
（2）ease的形容词形式是easy，有“容易”的意思。
e.g.> The days of easy credit are gone.
轻松贷款的日子已经过去。
（3）形容词easy的反义词是uneasy【】，有“不安”的意思。
e.g.> A lot of people feel uneasy about spending after the longest recession since World War Two. 在经历了二战以来最久的经济衰退之后，大批民众都对消费感到不安。
另外，“un+形容词”构成这个形容词的反义词，是英语中的常用构词法，如unimportant （不重要的），unable（不能够的）。
【句型】afraid to do sth不敢做某事
OALD> feeling fear; frightened because you think that you might be hurt or suffer
e.g.> She was afraid to open the door 她不敢开门。
Many Americans still afraid to spend。许多美国人仍不敢消费。
roller coaster - noun. 过山车
OALD> a track at a fairground that goes up and down
very steep slopes and that people ride on in a small train
for fun and excitement
e.g.> Stock prices took a roller-coaster ride this week.
这周股票价格坐上了过山车。
【词汇讲解】英语中，常用roller coaster形容局势起伏变
化非常快。
【句型】be likely to do sth可能做某事
e.g.>Experts say the situation is likely to continue until investors feel more sure about signs of economic recovery.
专家称这种局面可能会一直持续到投资者对经济恢复信号感到更加肯定。
e.g.> Tickets are likely to be expensive.
票价可能会很贵。
National Retail Federation（美国）全国零售商联合会
Wikipedia>The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association. Its members include department store, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent retailers, and chain restaurants and grocery stores. Members also include businesses that provide goods and services to retailers. NRF represents an industry that contains over 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments with more than 24 million employees and (2005) sales of $4.4 trillion. NRF is also an umbrella group that represents more than 100 associations of state, national and international retailers. Official Website>https://www.doczj.com/doc/3918998715.html,
backpack【】- noun.[C] 背包
OALD> a large bag, often supported on a light
metal frame, carried on the back and used
especially by people who go climbing or walking
【英美差异】背包在美国叫做backpack，在英国叫
做rucksack
【外来词汇】中文里原来没有“背包”这个词，它的
出现，极有可能是直接借自英语。将backpack译为
背包，非常巧妙。back是“背”的意思，而pack则
是“包”的意思。同样，英语中也有借用中文的词汇，如typhoon（台风）。
consumer【】- noun. 消费者
OALD> a person who buys goods or uses services
e.g.> consumer demand消费者需求 / consumer rights消费者权利
Tax cuts will boost consumer confidence after the recession.
减税将提高经济衰退后的消费者信心指数。
【知识百科】consumer confidence消费者信心指数
维基百科> 消费信心指数是指消费者对整个国家经济和个人财务状况的乐观程度。人们对获得稳定收入的信心决定了他们的消费行为，因此可以作为衡量整个经济状况的关键指标。Wikipedia> Consumer confidence is the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. How confident people feel about stability of their incomes determines their spending activity and therefore serves as one of the key indicators for the overall shape of the economy. In essence, if consumer confidence is higher, consumers are making more purchases, boosting the economic expansion. On the other hand, if confidence is lower, consumers tend to save more than they spend, prompting the contraction of the economy. A month-to-month diminishing trend in consumer confidence suggests that in the current state of the economy most consumers have a negative outlook on their ability to find and retain good jobs. John Maynard Keynes described consumer confidence with the term animal spirits, meant to indicate the not-fully-rational decision-making of consumers. definite【】- adj. 确切的，明确的
OALD> sure or certain; unlikely to change
e.g.> Can you give me a definite answer by tomorrow?
你明天能给我一个确实的答复吗？
They have very definite ideas on how to bring up children.
对于如何抚养孩子，他们有明确的计划。
【句型】record number / record numbers 破记录的数量
e.g.> There was a record number of candidates for the post.
这个职位的应聘者达到破记录的数量
Record numbers of Americans are in danger of losing their homes.
处于失去房子危险之中的美国人达到了破记录的数量。
【句型】in danger of处于……危险之中
e.g.> The building is in danger of collapsing.
这个大楼正处于倒塌的危险之中。
How many factory workers are in danger of losing their jobs?
多少工厂工人正处于失去工作的危险之中？
The Treasury Department（美国）财政部
gross【】- adj. 总的（毛计）
OALD> being the total amount of sth before anything is taken away
e.g.> gross weight毛重（即指包括包装在内的我不是）
gross income毛收入（即还没有扣税，或扣除成本的收入）
domestic【】- adj. 国内的
OALD> of or inside a particular country; not foreign or international
e.g.> domestic affairs国内事务 / domestic flights国内航班
product【】- noun. 产值，产量
Merriam-Webster> the amount, quantity, or total produced
【词义补充】product作名词时，还有“产品”的意思。
gross domestic product国内总产值
dip【】- noun. 下跌
OALD> a decrease in the amount or success of sth, usually for only a short period
e.g.> a sharp dip in profits 利润急剧下跌
【同义词】fall - noun. 下跌
downturn【】- noun. 衰退，下滑
OALD> a fall in the amount of business that is done; a time when the economy becomes weaker
e.g.> the economic downturn of the late 1990s
20世纪90年代末的经济衰退。
euro【】- noun. 欧元（右图为欧元符号）
OALD> the unit of money of some countries of the
European Union
e.g.> The price is given in dollars or euros.
价格用美元或欧元标出。
e.g.> I paid five euros for it. 我付了5欧元购买它。
the value of the euro against the dollar 欧元的价值对抗着美元
第三部分、英中笔译
ECONOMICS REPORT - Recession Easing, but Many Americans Still Afraid to Spend
Stock prices took a roller-coaster ride this week -- down one day, up the next. Experts say the situation is likely to continue until investors feel more sure about signs of economic recovery.
Some investors worry that Americans are not doing enough to lift the world's largest economy out of recession. This is back-to-school season. But the National Retail Federation says school-related sales are down from last year.
MOTHER: "I don't want to spend more than twenty dollars for a backpack."
Consumer spending is seventy percent of the economic activity in the United States. But consumer confidence -- a measure of trust in the economy -- fell unexpectedly this month.
A lot of people feel uneasy about spending after the longest recession since World War Two.
WOMAN: "My situation is fine, but I am still aware that I could lose my job at anytime, and there's still no definite security. That's why I am paying attention more."
Jobs have continued to disappear, though at slower rates. Record numbers of Americans are in danger of losing their homes. And the days of easy credit are gone. The Treasury Department says lending fell for a fifth month at banks that received government aid.
Still, some economists say other signs in the economy show that the recession is over already, or will be soon. Then the question is: how fast or how slow will the recovery be?
The recession may also be ending in Japan. Japan has the world's second largest economy. Officials reported this week that the gross domestic product grew nine-tenths of one percent between April and June. It was the first growth in Japan's economy in fifteen months.
But there are concerns that Japan and the United States could face a "double-dip" recession. That is a period of growth followed by another downturn. Japan will hold national elections on August thirtieth. Public opinion surveys show the main opposition
party in the lead.
In Europe, reports last week showed a year of recession easing in Germany, its largest economy, and in France. Both countries had growth of three-tenths of one percent between April and June. That news raised hopes for an early recovery among the sixteen countries that use the euro.
Still, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund says the effects of the world economic crisis will hurt both supply and demand for years to come. Olivier Blanchard says even after recovery, the global economy may not produce as much as it did before the crisis.
第四部分、中英笔译
经济报道——经济衰退正在减轻，但许多美国人仍然不敢消费
这周，股票价格坐上了过山车，跌一天，涨一天。专家称这种局面可能会一直持续到投资者对经济恢复信号感到更加肯定。
有些投资者担心美国人不会采取足够的措施来让这个世界上最大的经济体走出经济低谷。现在是返校的季节，但全国零售商联合会称，与校园相关的销售跟去年比下滑了。
（某位）母亲：“我不想花超过20美元买个背包。”
民众消费占美国经济活动的70%，但消费者信心（指数），即对国民经济信任的测量指标，在这个月意外下跌。在经历了二战以来最久的经济衰退之后，大批民众都对消费感到不安。
（某位）妇女：“我情况还好，但仍觉得自己可能随时会失去工作，仍没有确切的安全性。这就是为什么我会更多关注。”
尽管速度变慢，但工作岗位一直在消失，处于失去房子危险之中的美国人达到了破记录的数量。轻松轻松（就能）贷款的日子已经过去。财政部称，接受政府援助的银行，他们的贷款持续第15个月下滑。
然而，有些经济学家称，在经济（活动）中，有其它一些信号显示，经济衰退已经结束，或即将结束。下面的问题是：经济恢复会有多快或多慢？
日本的经济衰退也可能正在结束。日本是世界第二大经济体。（日本）官方本周报告称，在4-6月份期间，日本国内总产值增长了9‰。这是15个月以来，日本经济的首次增长。 但有人担心日本和美国可能面临“二次下滑”经济衰退。这是指一段时期的增长之后，紧跟着另一次衰退。日本将在8月30日举行全国大选。公众民意调查显示，主要的反对党处于领先地位。
在欧洲，上周的报告显示其最大经济体德国，以及法国历时一年的经济衰退正在减轻。在4-6月份期间，这两个国家都有3‰的增长。对16个使用欧元的国家来说，这个消息加大了（经济）早日恢复的希望。
然而，国际货币基金组织的首席经济学家（Olivier Blanchard）称，世界经济危机的影响将同时破坏未来几年的（市场）供应和需求。Olivier Blanchard称，即使在恢复之后，全球经济产量也不能达到这次经济危机之前的水平。
第五部分、听力训练
https://www.doczj.com/doc/3918998715.html,/voanews/specialenglish/scripts/2009/08/21/0041/
点击上面的网址，将会打开一个网页，这个网页上提供了配套MP3声音文件下载。
（一）听写准备。准备一支铅笔、一块相橡皮、数张空白稿纸（注：听写时是用铅笔写好还是用键盘敲好？个人认为用铅笔+稿纸的方式，就不需要长时间对着电脑显示器，是一种更健康的方法）。准备好一本英语词典工具书（或者英语电子词典）。将上面的MP3声音文件下载到你的电脑上，或MP3播放器里，准备开始听写。
（二）开始“摘要式”听写。开始播放节目MP3，用铅笔将听到的关键词句写在稿纸上，听不懂的关键词句打个问号代替下。对于非关键词句，即使能完全听懂也直接跳过不写。为了提高书写速度，可以对单词进行缩写。如 United States可以简写为U.S.，不熟悉的人名、地名也可以用简写，如Saddam Hussein可以简写为 S.H.。“摘要式”听写就像作会议纪要那样，只记录关键词句。这种听写，不允许暂停MP3播放，等你慢慢把听到的写下来。“摘要式”听写策略是：播到哪、听到哪，写到哪。
（三）补全“摘要式”听写。为了保证你的听写稿完整的反映了文章大意，可以反复播放节目录音3-4次，尽量补充完整自己漏掉的关键词句。
（四）进行“完全式”听写。“完全式”听写要求写出与原文一模一样，一字不漏的听写稿。这种训练将有助于你辩清单词发音，纠正习惯性单词拼写错误，有效巩固、增加听力词汇和阅读词汇。在进行“完全式”听写时，你可以采用“播一句听一句，暂停播放写一句”的策略。
（五）听写对照和总结。通过与原文对照，找出你没有听写出来的词句，标上记号。这些没有听出来的词句可能很简单，但你却没有听出来，它们就是你听力的盲点，所以要特别留意。另外，还要把单词拼写错误的地方找出来，其意义是让你准确掌握单词的拼法，纠正习惯性拼写错误。比如，有人会将principle（原则）习惯性地错拼为principal（校长）。最后，将这些问题统统记在自己的笔记本上，以便日后复习。
第六部分、精准发音
https://www.doczj.com/doc/3918998715.html,/voanews/specialenglish/scripts/2009/08/21/0041/
点击上面的网址，将会打开一个网页，这个网页上提供了配套MP3声音文件下载。
（一）准备给自己录音。准备好要朗读的文章，同时让录音设备（可以是电脑上的录音软件、或录音笔，或有录音功能的手机）处于录音准备状态，打开文章MP3声音文件，把播放进度设置在文稿正文开始处，并暂停播放；打开电脑音箱，音量调的稍大些，使通过音箱播放的声音也能被清晰的录下来。
（二）开始交叉朗读。按下开始录音键，大声读第一句，读完后，播放MP3，直到主持人读完你刚才读过的句子，立即按下暂停MP3播放按钮。这样，你和主持人的声音就都被录了下来。接着刚才的句子继续往下读一句，再播放一句MP3录音，一直这样重复下去，直至整篇文章读完。录完后，整个录音就是你说一句然后主持人跟着你说一句的效果。整篇文章读完后，按下停止录音功能按钮，将录音文件保存好。
（三）循环检查发音。循环播放刚刚的交叉录音，并认真辨别你的录音和主持人的录音在单词发音和句子升降调、轻重发音方面的不同，对于发音不准或者语调不正确的地方，请在发音笔记中记录下来，提醒自己下次朗读时注意。
附件一、翻译对照
ECONOMICS REPORT - Recession Easing, but Many Americans Still Afraid to Spend
经济报道——经济衰退正在减轻，但许多美国人仍然不敢消费
Stock prices took a roller-coaster ride this week -- down one day, up the next. Experts say the situation is likely to continue until investors feel more sure about signs of economic recovery.
Some investors worry that Americans are not doing enough to lift the world's largest economy out of recession. This is back-to-school season. But the National Retail Federation says school-related sales are down from last year.
MOTHER: "I don't want to spend more than twenty dollars for a backpack."
Consumer spending is seventy percent of the economic activity in the United States. But consumer confidence -- a measure of trust in the economy -- fell unexpectedly this month. A lot of people feel uneasy about spending after the longest recession since World War Two.
WOMAN: "My situation is fine, but I am still aware that I could lose my job at anytime, and there's still no definite security. That's why I am paying attention more."
Jobs have continued to disappear, though at slower rates. Record numbers of Americans are in danger of losing their homes. And the days of easy credit are gone. The Treasury Department says lending fell for a fifth month at banks that received government aid. 这周，股票价格坐上了过山车，跌一天，涨一天。专家称这种局面可能会一直持续到投资者对经济恢复信号感到更加肯定。
有些投资者担心美国人不会采取足够的措施来让这个世界上最大的经济体走出经济低谷。现在是返校的季节，但全国零售商联合会称，与校园相关的销售跟去年比下滑了。
（某位）母亲：“我不想花超过20美元买个背包。”
民众消费占美国经济活动的70%，但消费者信心（指数），即对国民经济信任的测量指标，在这个月意外下跌。在经历了二战以来最久的经济衰退之后，大批民众都对消费感到不安。
（某位）妇女：“我情况还好，但仍觉得自己可能随时会失去工作，仍没有确切的安全性。这就是为什么我会更多关注。”
尽管速度变慢，但工作岗位一直在消失，处于失去房子危险之中的美国人达到了破记录的数量。轻松轻松（就能）贷款的日子已经过去。财政部称，接受政府援助的银行，他们的贷款持续第15个月下滑。
Still, some economists say other signs in the economy show that the recession is over already, or will be soon. Then the question is: how fast or how slow will the recovery be?
The recession may also be ending in Japan. Japan has the world's second largest economy. Officials reported this week that the gross domestic product grew nine-tenths of one percent between April and June. It was the first growth in Japan's economy in fifteen months.
But there are concerns that Japan and the United States could face a "double-dip" recession. That is a period of growth followed by another downturn. Japan will hold national elections on August thirtieth. Public opinion surveys show the main opposition party in the lead.
In Europe, reports last week showed a year of recession easing in Germany, its largest economy, and in France. Both countries had growth of three-tenths of one percent between April and June. That news raised hopes for an early recovery among the sixteen countries that use the euro.
Still, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund says the effects of the world economic crisis will hurt both supply and demand for years to come. Olivier Blanchard says even after recovery, the global economy may not produce as much as it did before the crisis. 然而，有些经济学家称，在经济（活动）中，有其它一些信号显示，经济衰退已经结束，或即将结束。下面的问题是：经济恢复会有多快或多慢？
日本的经济衰退也可能正在结束。日本是世界第二大经济体。（日本）官方本周报告称，在4-6月份期间，日本国内总产值增长了9‰。这是15个月以来，日本经济的首次增长。
但有人担心日本和美国可能面临“二次下滑”经济衰退。这是指一段时期的增长之后，紧跟着另一次衰退。日本将在8月30日举行全国大选。公众民意调查显示，主要的反对党处于领先地位。
在欧洲，上周的报告显示其最大经济体德国，以及法国历时一年的经济衰退正在减轻。在4-6月份期间，这两个国家都有3‰的增长。对16个使用欧元的国家来说，这个消息加大了（经济）早日恢复的希望。
然而，国际货币基金组织的首席经济学家（Olivier Blanchard）称，世界经济危机的影响将同时破坏未来几年的（市场）供应和需求。Olivier Blanchard称，即使在恢复之后，全球经济产量也不能达到这次经济危机之前的水平。