澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-02-06

US President Barack Obama says new jobs figures show the United States is climbing out of a huge hole created by the recession. But he has also cautioned the figures are not cause for celebration. The jobless rate fell to 9.7% in January from 10% in December. That’s a 5-month low. President Obama has called the data encouraging. But he also said jobs figures will fluctuate for months to come.

 

And those figures have had a dampening effect on the US market. The Dow fell four points and the S&P 500 closed flat. Australian shares also took a tumble with big losses in resource stocks. The ASX 200 closed 108 points lower on Friday.

 

And on the currency markets, the Australian dollar is on the defensive¹ as investors² fret³ about the help of the European economy. It’s buying 86.6 US cents and 55 pence.

 

And the President of the Japanese carmaker Toyota has publicly apologized for the faults in its vehicles which have caused safety worries around the world. Millions of cars have been recalled in Europe, China and the US because of problems with the accelerator pedals. Akio Toyoda has expressed his regret to customers who have faced the problem.

 

And that’s the latest ABC Business News.

 

1 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

2 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

3 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.