US Commerce Secretary Expresses Optimism to 1)World Economic

Broadcast: Jan 25 2003

 

At a session reviewing prospects¹ for the U.S. economy, Secretary Evans sounded a note of optimism. "Inflation being low really does give you a lot of room to continue to pursue pro-growth policies to keep interest rates down, which allows consumers, [and] allows businesses, to deal with their debt load," he said. "Also, it allows you to pursue pro-growth ²⁾fiscal policies."

Secretary Evans dismissed concerns by some analysts² at the Forum³ that the U.S. economy would find it difficult to sustain a war against Iraq. "We have a very resilient, flexible economy. A $10 ³⁾trillion economy. And so, when you put that in the context of a war - again let me put great emphasis on the fact that our goal is to solve this issue peacefully and avoid war - but still, if you want to take that step, I've seen estimates of war costs of $40 billion to $50 billion. But, still, in the context of a $10 trillion economy, I expect our economy to continue to move ahead," he said. "I expect it to be resilient and flexible, and be able to deal with the impact of a war."

Some analysts say, war with Iraq could cause the U.S. economy to contract by 1.2 percent for several quarters, even if oil prices are high for only a few weeks. Officials from the oil cartel, OPEC, say a new Gulf⁴ conflict could edge the world toward an oil crisis.

Secretary Evans acknowledged that oil surplus capacity, which has dropped considerably⁵ compared with the 1980s and 1990s, is low - three-to-four million barrels a day above consumption of 80-million barrels a day. He said available, affordable⁶ energy supplies were key to long-term economic growth.

Dale Gavlak, VOA news, Davos.

1)     World Economic Forum 世界经济论坛

2)     fiscal[5fiskEl]adj. 财政的, 国库的

3)     trillion[5triljEn]num. 万亿

 

 

1 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。