澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2015-03-04

 Today’s economic growth figures are expected to show growth is slowing. Most forecasts are expecting annual growth in the December quarter to have slowed from 2.7% to 2.5% which is the low trend. Experts say it’s due to falling mining investment and weak consumer spending. And the figures are expected to push the RBA into a rate cut in the coming month.

 

Well, the cost of sending letters will soon rise and delivery times will be slower under new plans for Australian post. The cost of a stamp will go up from 70 cents to one dollar, but concession¹ card holders² will still be offered a reduced rate of 60 cents. Communication Ministers Malcolm Turnbull has defended the changes, saying the Australians are sending one billion fewer letters than they were in 2008 with losses rising to more than 300 million dollars a year.

 

“The alternative is either massive subsidies³ which have run over a decade into 7 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money to keep the status pro-going or alternatively, abandoning the letters business altogether.”

 

And looking at the markets now, the Dow was down more than 0.5%. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 had also lost ground. In London, the FTSE was also trading lower. Checking commodity prices, West Texas Crude is trading at 50 US dollars a barrel. Tapis Crude is trading at 64 US dollars a barrel. And gold is trading at 1204 US dollars an ounce, while the Aussie dollar is buying 78 US cents, 70 euro cents and 51 pence sterling⁴.

1 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

2 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。