VOA常速英语2008年-Bush: Strong Action Being Taken on US Economy

By Paula Wolfson
White House
17 March 2008

President Bush says the U.S. economy is facing challenging times. But as VOA's Paula Wolfson tells us, the president says the government is taking decisive action.

As a jittery¹ U.S. stock market opened for business, the president sought to reassure² the American people.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with his top economic advisors³, Mr. Bush said his administration is on top of the situation.

"One thing is for certain - we are in challenging times," he said. "But another thing is for certain - that we have taken strong and decisive action."

He signaled his support for steps taken in recent days by the U.S. central bank to cut interest rates and to provide financial markets with a sense of stability - in large part by rescuing the crisis-ridden investment firm, Bear Stearns. And he praised Treasury⁴ Secretary Henry Paulson for his efforts to promote calm and correct the economic slump⁵.

"You have shown the country and the world that the United States is on top of the situation," he said. "Secondly⁶, you have reaffirmed the fact that our financial institutions are strong and that our capital markets are functioning efficiently⁷ and effectively."

President Bush stressed that his administration will continue to monitor the situation and will take additional action, as warranted. He emphasized once again that the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are sound, saying in the long run, everything will be fine.

His comments - which were added to his schedule on relatively⁸ short notice - were aimed at easing economic concerns both at home and abroad. The slump in the U.S. economy - caused in part by problems in the home loan market - has had an impact around the world.

Stock prices are down in many countries, the dollar has hit record lows against the euro and the yen⁹, and oil and gold prices have hit new highs.

1 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

2 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

3 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

4 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

5 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。