VOA慢速英语2013 加利福尼亚州带头复苏经济

AS IT IS 2013-10-10 California Helps Lead Economic Recovery 加利福尼亚州带头复苏经济

Hello again, and welcome.  I’m Jim Tedder¹ in Washington.  Today’s As It Is program is different.  Usually we take you around the world to hear about interesting people, places, and things.  But today we are staying closer to home.  You could call it an “all American” show.  First we will talk about money, jobs, and the economy.  It seems that one western state has been doing a bit better than others.  We will hear why California is the place to be.

Then, we will make stop in Houston, Texas, to hear about some young people who have been chosen to help the city grow and prosper².  And near the end of the program, some silliness, and just a touch of classic rock and roll music.  As It Is …helping³ you to learn English by way of your radio and computer.

The American economy is slowly improving from the recession of 2008 and 2009. Industries like construction and building repair are doing well. Unemployment, however, remains⁴ high throughout the United States. From state to state, the economic recovery appears uneven⁵. But California is growing at a rate above the national average.

Rosalie Andersen is a real estate agent. Her job is to help people buy and sell homes. Today, she is attempting to sell a white house made of stucco in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood. She hopes this house will sell for more than a million dollars. She says the housing market is getting better.  

“It’s kind of puzzling. We talk in the office, and we’re just wondering:  Where are these people getting all this cash from? But I think what a lot of people are doing is that they’re finally realizing that your best investment for money is a home.”

Last year, the California economy grew at rate of three-point-five percent. That is a full percentage point above the national average. But the growth rate differs from place to place.

Robert Kleinhenz is an economist⁶ with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. He says California’s ports are busier than other ports.

“We’re still well below the pre-recession peak levels of port activity that we had seen in 2007. We’ve seen some slight gains with each passing year. But there still is a ways to go.”

In downtown Los Angeles, the Chinese immigrant owner of a small business says he is doing well. His store sells t-shirts and slippers⁷ -- footwear normally worn around the house. Nearby, Henry Wong sells low-cost decorations and cloth imported from China. Mr. Wong says the cost to operate his business is low. When the economy is not good, he says, he and his employees work harder. Currently, Mr. Wong is doing well. He has six workers in his store, and more working in a building where the goods are stored.

High-technology companies are helping the American economy. But even in Silicon⁸ Valley, California’s high-technology center, the situation is mixed. Cisco Systems has reported good sales, but is cutting 4,000 jobs. The company says it is reacting to a changing market. Banking⁹ and professional services are doing well. The recreation and hospitality industry is expanding, adding jobs to hotels and visitor services.

California’s $44 billion farming industry helps feed the nation and is growing. The state’s unemployment rate is 8.7 percent, down from over 12 percent three years ago. The national unemployment rate is 7.4 and improving. But Mr. Kleinhenz says the numbers are not what they should be. 

“The unemployment rate has been coming down. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been growing. The problem is, they continue to tell us that the economy is growing at a slower pace than we would really like to see.”

Houston Looks for Young Leaders

The Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber¹⁰ of Commerce Foundation recently held a graduation ceremony for 34 young adults who completed its Emerging Leaders Institute. The program’s purpose is to increase their skills -- and their confidence that they can help the future of this busy city in the state of Texas.  Christopher Cruise tells us more.

Participants in the program are students, or those who recently completed their studies at a university in the Houston area. 

Most graduates of the Houston Emerging Leaders Institute are Hispanic, but others also take part. Huyen Do is a good example.  She says she is ready to be a leader.

The program includes business leaders and civil engineers, biologists, bankers and politicians.  Laura Murillo leads the Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation.  She says the program is aimed at helping make progress in a city that is changing both ethnically¹¹ and economically.

"Houston is diverse, in terms of the people who are here, and it is diverse in terms of the careers that are available. So we want to get and identify all those great people out there, put them in this program and prepare them to lead Houston."

Program members like Mercedes Sanchez said they learned from working with others in the class of 2013. 

"I think that one of the many benefits of having such a diverse group is that you really get to learn from each other, and it enriches the experience that you have."

Participant Jo Anna Castilleja works for Shell Oil. She said she needed guidance about the business world because she was the first in her family to complete college.

"My parents came from elementary and secondary education, and I needed to ask for help from someone who had that kind of (college) experience."

Sonia Gonzalez was one of Miz Castilleja's guides, or mentors¹³.  Miz Gonzalez said the training has produced better workers and citizens.  She noted¹⁴ that the program combined Miz Castilleja's work experience with a wider understanding of what is happening in the city.  And, she said that made her a more valuable employee.

Although the students have graduated from the program, they may return one day as a mentor¹² to a new young participant.  I’m Christopher Cruise.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  Thank you for spending some time with us on this Thursday, October 9th.   Today is International Top Spinning Day, a day to spin your small wooden toy, and then email the Spinning Top and Yo Yo Museum in Burlington, Wisconsin, to tell them you participated!

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 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。

5 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

6 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。

7 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

8 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

10 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

11 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

12 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

13 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。