VOA标准英语10月-Women's Investment Club in California Plans to We

The recent turmoil¹ in the world's financial markets has made investors² nervous. There are thousands of investment clubs around the United States, and VOA's Mike O'Sullivan spoke³ to members of one, who say they are concerned, but plan to keep investing.

Dramatic fluctuations⁴ in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other stock indexes have led some to panic selling. But a group of friends in Los Angeles, who make up the 20/20 Investment Club, say they are in the market for the long run.
　

Sonya Weaver5 Johnson

Sonya Weaver Johnson started the club 11 years ago with friends and acquaintances. "Some of them, I have met in college, others in graduate school, others once I got married and so on. And so, there is a personal connection. It almost forces a group of friends to get together," she said.

Today, the 20/20 Investment Club has nine members - most are African American and all are professional women. They meet every other month to make decisions on joint⁶ investments. Each member invests at least 75 dollars every two months.
　

Pam Bryant

Club member Pam Bryant, a nurse, says these are historic times - exciting, but a little frightening. "And I think we can look back historically and see what has happened in the past with the Great Depression and crashes of the stock market, and wonder if we are going to go that way again," she said.

The club has ridden out other storms, including the dot com crash early in the decade, when many new Internet companies lost their value. The club follows the guidelines of a non-profit organization called the National Association of Investors Corporation in selecting their stocks. They have invested only in companies with a 10-year track record, mostly mid-sized and larger firms, including General Electric and Procter & Gamble.
　

Holly7 Parker

Club member Holly Parker, a lawyer, knows the market has its ups and down, and says investors should not panic. "I will check my statements every now and then, but I am just trying to let it do its thing. They say it is a natural progression in finance and in the markets, so we will see where it takes us. But right now, I am very cautious."

At a recent meeting at the home of the one club member, the women ate breakfast, then got down to business. There was serious news to digest. A government rescue plan for Wall Street had failed to bolster⁸ the stock market.

New member Antonia Lambey says the current economic problems show the importance of careful research before investing. "I do not believe that this is the end for investments and a future for growth. There is certainly opportunity for us all to learn and to be a little bit more cautious in our investing in the future," she said.

Members of the 20/20 Investment Club say their cautious approach and long-range view have paid off, at least so far. Their guidelines call for a diversified⁹ portfolio¹⁰, a focus on growth companies, reinvesting their profits and staying in the market through its up and downs. They say they are concerned about market turbulence¹¹, but that they are ready to weather the storm until the economy recovers.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

5 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

8 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

11 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。