VOA标准英语2008年-US Banking System Faces Shakeup

Financial lenders are facing a major industry reorganization Monday that promises to change the face of banking¹ in the United States. From Washington, VOA's Sean Maroney reports.
　
Lehman Brothers headquarters in New York City, 13 Sep 2008

Early Monday, the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers announced that it will file for bankruptcy².

In a statement, Lehman said its filing for Chapter 11 in U.S. bankruptcy court will not affect its broker-dealer subsidiaries or other units.

Sunday, talks aimed at stabilizing³ the 158-year-old investment bank ended after Bank of America and Britain's Barclays Plc decided⁴ against buying it.

Lehman was once the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States. But market analyst⁵ Hugh Johnson says bad investments in real estate and other areas brought a drastic fall in the value of Lehman shares.

"Lehman, like so many other investment banks and banks, really got, quite frankly⁶, caught up in the housing bubble, but, like every bubble, the bubble ended and now we're seeing the downside of that bubble," Johnson said.

On Sunday, Merrill Lynch agreed to be bought out by Bank of America for some $50 billion. Analysts⁷ say the move will result in the nation's prime lender (BA) becoming even bigger.

In a separate move late Sunday, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced several initiatives to make it easier for financial institutions to get emergency loans from the U.S. central bank.

Officials from 10 global banks and securities firms also announced a $70 billion loan program that the companies could use to help ease a potential credit shortage.

Government and banking officials are concerned that the failure of a large institution, like Lehman Brothers, could shake confidence in the financial system and hurt the value of other firms.

 

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 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。