澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-11-09

 And US President Barack Obama is selling education reforms as a key measure to improve America’s sluggish¹ economy. He says investing in early childhood education will ensure the US remains² competitive.

 

“Right out of the gate, it helps prepare our kids for a competition that's never been tougher--a competition for good, middle-class, well-paying jobs. And we are competing now with countries like China and South Korea and Europe, all of which are serious about educating their children. So at a time when a company is able to move anywhere they want in the world-- and a lot of times will make the decision based on where they can find the most highly skilled workforce--it is absolutely imperative³ that we make sure that the United States is the place where we've got the best-trained, best-educated young people.”

 

Barack Obama there

 

Let's go to the markets now. And the Dow Jones has just closed 102 points higher. The NASDAQ put on 32. The S&P 500 up 14. In London the FTSE put on 57 points.

 

Checking commodity prices, West Texas Crude is trading at 96 US dollars and 73 cents a barrel. Tapis crude is trading at 126 US dollars and 90 cents a barrel. And gold’s at 1,783 US dollars and 50 cents an ounce.

 

To the currencies, the Australian dollar is buying a dollar and four US cents, 75 euro cents and 64 pence sterling⁴.

1 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

2 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。

3 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

4 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。