VOA慢速英语 2008 1024a

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
　

Watching stocks in Tokyo

Credit markets showed signs of some improvement this week. Interest rates for short-term loans between banks fell, in a sign that banks may be more willing to lend. But stock markets fell on new concerns about company profits.

President Bush invited leaders of the Group of Twenty countries to Washington on November fifteenth to discuss the financial crisis. The group includes leading industrial economies and large developing ones like China and India.

A White House spokeswoman said the leaders will seek a common set of ideas for reform of the world's financial system. The summit is meant to be the first in a series of talks.

This week, the Federal Reserve announced a program to lend up to five hundred forty billion dollars to money market mutual¹ funds. And Treasury² Secretary Henry Paulson detailed³ his department's new capital purchase program. The Treasury will buy two hundred fifty billion dollars worth of nonvoting preferred stock in healthy banks.

HENRY PAULSON: "This is an investment, not an expenditure⁴, and there is no reason to believe that this program will cost taxpayers⁵ anything. They will not only own shares that should be paid back with a reasonable return, but also will receive warrants for common shares in participating institutions."

In return, the banks have to restrict pay for top officials. The nation's nine largest banks have already agreed to accept half the money. The money will come from the financial rescue plan passed by Congress.

The aim is to increase lending, but experts predict banks may also use the new capital to buy smaller banks.

Also in Washington, government officials considered new measures to help struggling homeowners. And a congressional committee held a hearing on credit rating agencies and their part in the financial crisis. They underestimated the risk of complex securities based on mortgage loans for people with poor credit histories.

Issuers of securities pay the rating agencies to estimate the risk for investors⁶. The heads of the three major agencies said the failures were honest mistakes, and that they are working to regain⁷ trust.

But a former official at Standard & Poor's said, "Profits were running the show." The committee released an instant message exchange in which two Standard & Poor's employees discussed a deal last year. The first wrote: "we should not be rating it." The second answered: "we rate every deal ... it could be structured by cows and we would rate it."

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

1 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

2 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。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

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 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

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。