美国有线新闻 CNN 为挽救经济 美联储将利率降至零

There are some businesses that are staying very busy during this ongoing¹ coronavirus pandemic.

在这场持续不断的冠状病毒疫情期间，有些企业正忙得不可开交。

Companies that make cleaning products like phone and hand sanitizers, medical equipment and supply organizations, toilet paper manufacturers and food delivery apps and their employees. But scores of businesses are seeing major losses as the disease spreads. Malls are closed, factories are shut down, flights have been canceled.

比如生产手机消毒剂和洗手液等清洁产品的公司、医疗设备和供应机构、卫生纸制造商和食品配送应用程序及其员工。但随着疫情的蔓延，数十家企业正在遭受重大损失。商场停业，工厂关闭，航班取消。

People in affected² countries have been told to stay home. Without consumers out and about spending money and without businesses making products and hiring people, the economy has effectively ground to a halt. The United States Federal Reserve, the central bank of the country, says the coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous hardship.

受疫情影响国家的民众被要求呆在家里。如果没有消费者外出消费，没有企业生产产品和雇佣员工，那经济实际上就已经陷入了停滞。美国中央银行美联储表示，冠状病毒大流行正在造成巨大的困难。

So in addition to dropping interest rates to zero, which encourages people and companies to take loans, the Fed is buying bonds, opening new credit facilities, starting a new lending program. In a nutshell, it's using all of its tools to try to limit the economic damage from COVID-19.

因此，除了将利率降至零以鼓励民众和企业贷款之外，美联储还购买债券、开放新的信用服务并启动新的贷款计划。简而言之，美联储正在动用所有工具来限制新冠肺炎造成的经济损失。

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has been debating a massive stimulus³ bill — a package of government spending that's intended to stimulate⁴ the economy. It could include loans to companies that are in trouble, more spending on healthcare and direct payments to American taxpayers⁵.

与此同时，美国国会一直在讨论一项大规模刺激法案，即旨在刺激经济的政府支出计划。该计划可能包括向陷入困境的企业提供贷款、增加医疗支出以及为美国纳税人提供直接补贴。

Its cost could be as high as $2 trillion. And Congressional Republicans and Democrats⁶ generally agree that the stimulus is needed. But they've had some disagreements over what exactly the money should be spent on and how it should be given out and that's delayed the bill from passing.

计划成本可能高达2万亿美元。国会共和党人和民主党人普遍认为，刺激计划是必要的。但他们在资金的具体用途以及分配方式上存在分歧，这延误了法案的通过。

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 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。

4 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》