Markets made moderate gains Thursday on news that congressional leaders had agreed in principle to a bailout plan for troubled firms on Wall Street. But a White House meeting later in the day highlighted work that still needs to be done to reach a final agreement. There is some skepticism in Congress over the plan and also among average Americans.
星期四，美国国会领袖们原则上同意政府拯救华尔街陷入困境的投资银行的计划。这一消息传出后，美国金融市场略有上扬。但是星期四傍晚在白宫举行的会议则凸显出，要达成最后的一致还有许多工作要做。在美国国会里，乃至在一般美国民众中间，一些人仍然对救市计划心有疑虑。
Key members of Congress announced Thursday they had agreed to the broad outlines of a $700 billion rescue package for failing financial companies, but several congressional Republicans cast doubt on the agreement after a White House meeting late in the afternoon. The meeting included President Bush, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Republican nominee John McCain, and leaders of both parties in Congress.
美国国会关键成员星期四宣布，他们就涉及七千亿美元的拯救金融市场计划的大纲达成协议。但是，星期四傍晚在白宫举行的一次会议上，一些共和党议员却对这项协议表达了怀疑。出席会议的有布什总统、民主党总统提名人奥巴马、共和党总统提名人麦凯恩、以及国会两党领袖。
Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Senate banking committee, emerged from the meeting saying there is no agreement, and other fiscal conservatives in the president's Republican party are reported to be resisting the deal.
参议院银行委员会的资深成员、来自阿拉巴马州的共和党参议员里查德·谢尔比在会议结束后表示，会议没有达成协议。有报道说，布什总统所在的共和党内的一些财政保守人士对这项计划进行抵制。
Senators McCain and Obama both say they are optimistic an agreement can be reached, but as Senator Obama put it, there is still some work that needs to be done.
麦凯恩参议员和奥巴马参议员说，他们对达成协议感到乐观。但是，奥巴马表示，仍然有一些工作有待完成。
Financial markets rose Thursday as they reacted with cautious optimism to news that a bailout agreement may be near. The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 196 points from its opening, although it was down from higher gains earlier in the day.
即将就救市计划达成一致的消息传出后，金融界人士做出谨慎乐观的反应，金融市场星期四略有上升。道琼斯工业指数比开盘时上涨了196点，不过比当天的峰值有所下跌。
On what is called Main Street, there is uncertainty among average Americans about the nation's economy, and some people are skeptical about the Wall Street bailout plan being proposed in Washington.
然而在普通美国民众当中，人们普遍对美国的经济感到不安，一些人甚至对政府提出的拯救华尔街计划置疑。
Los Angeles physician Bill Kelly echoes the comments of many others, saying he knows that something must be done to avert a financial crisis, but he is not sure the proposed plan is the right one.
洛杉矶一位名叫比尔·凯利的医生的看法就很有代表性。他说，为了防止一场金融危机，必须采取一些行动，但是他并不认为救市计划是正确的。
"I'm nervous," he admitted. "I think it should be a little slower and they don't really know that it will help."
他说：“我感到紧张。我认为应当延缓采取行动，他们也不知道计划是否奏效。”
Kelly wonders if the money might be better spent rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, paying for health and education, or helping struggling homeowners meet their mortgage payments. Others say that troubled Wall Street firms should be allowed to fail and that the U.S. financial system is resilient enough for the markets to solve their own problems.
The government bailout plan would buy the mortgage-based assets of troubled banks and investment firms, keeping them in business. The assets lost much of their value when housing prices dropped and many homeowners defaulted on their mortgage payments. The rescue plan is intended to reverse what President Bush has called a serious economic crisis. He says failure to act quickly could cause the failure of more banks, a drop in the stock market and losses in pension funds.
救市计划的要点是政府收购陷入困境的银行和投资公司以抵押贷款为基础的资产，从而使这些公司不会倒闭。但问题是，当房价下跌、许多房屋拥有人无法偿还他们的抵押贷款时，这些资产的价值大幅度下跌。救市计划的宗旨是扭转布什总统所说的一场严重的经济危机。他说，如果不立即采取行动，就会有更多的银行倒闭，股市会进一步下跌，很多人失去退休金。 |