VOA标准英语2009年-US Jobless Total Rises by 651,000 in February

The deep downturn in the US economy gathered strength in February as another 651,000 workers lost their jobs.
　
Crowds wait to apply for jobs outside the New York Department of Labor¹ in the Bronx in New York, 06 Mar² 2009

It was the third straight month in which the jobless total rose by more than 600,000. Since the recession began in December 2007 over four million Americans have lost their jobs.

The unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent in February, the highest rate in over 25 years. Job losses in February were close to expectations, while the unemployment rate was above forecasts of 8 percent.

New York Congressman³ Maurice Hinchey called attention to the revised 688,000 job lost in December 2008. "That [revised] December decline is now the worst we've seen since October 1949," he said.

Hinchey is a member of the Joint⁴ Economic Committee. During a discussion of the grim jobs data, members divided along party lines on whether the economic stimulus⁵ plan of President Obama will turn the economy around. Elijah Cummings, a democrat⁶ from Baltimore, Maryland, is optimistic.

"This [economic] situation changes from day-to-day, hour-to-hour, it is indeed a very difficult moving target," said Cummings. "But we will hit the target."

Kevin Brady, a Republican congressman from east Texas, is convinced that more government spending is not the answer. "Unfortunately, the administration's solution to the problem posed by an excessive debt burden is to propose an avalanche⁷ of more deficit⁸ spending and higher federal debt," he said.

Analysts⁹ expect the jobless rate will continue to rise, perhaps reaching 10 percent of the labor force. The current recession is already among the deepest of the post-World War II period.

The stock market, a barometer¹⁰ of business confidence, has plummeted¹¹ 20 percent in the six weeks since President Obama took office. It is down 53 percent from its October 2007 record high, a move that has erased¹² several trillion dollars from America's household wealth.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 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。

5 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

8 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

9 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。

10 barometer   

n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标

参考例句：

• The barometer marked a continuing fall in atmospheric pressure.气压表表明气压在继续下降。
• The arrow on the barometer was pointing to"stormy".气压计上的箭头指向“有暴风雨”。

11 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》