VOA标准英语2010年-US Job Losses Drop Below 10 Percent

The U.S. jobless rate dropped to 9.7 percent in the first month of the new year, providing Americans with some good news that the economic recovery may be taking hold.  But, overall another 20,000 jobs were lost, which was disappointing as President Barack Obama and majority Democrats² begin a push for new legislation to stimulate³ job growth.

The three tenths dip below 10 percent is a psychological boost for Americans, the president and majority Democrats as they focus legislative⁴ efforts on creating jobs, and try to attract some support from opposition⁵ Republicans to economic policies.

In reporting the 9.7 percent figure, the lowest since last August, the Bureau of Labor⁶ Statistics said that, based on a survey of American households, the number of employed rose by 541,000, though overall employers shed another 20,000 additional jobs.

But at a hearing of the bipartisan Joint⁷ Economic Committee in Washington, Bureau commissioner⁸ Keith Hall also noted⁹ a continuing upward trend in the number of people seeking but unable to find work.

"Both the number of unemployed¹⁰ persons and the unemployment rate declined in January, however the share of those jobless for 27 weeks and over continued to rise," said Keith Hall.

Democrat¹ Carolyn Maloney said the figures showed that President Obama's efforts to reverse the recession are succeeding.

"It appears that we are trending in the right direction," said Carolyn Maloney. "We no longer are facing an avalanche¹¹ of job losses."

Republicans pounced¹² on recently revised government figures showing one million more jobs lost than previously¹³ estimated since the U.S. recession began in December 2007, a total of 8.4 million.

House of Representatives Republican leader John Boehner assailed¹⁴ what he called the president's "job-killing policies" which he asserted are expanding government and debt.

President Obama and Democrats have said job figures would have been far worse without the economic stimulus¹⁵ the Democratic-controlled Congress passed last year.

Addressing the Democratic National Committee winter meeting in Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to a slightly higher figure reported recently of 22,000 non-farm private sector¹⁶ jobs lost, and compared it to a 741,000 figure of a year ago.

"We know we have to do better, but it is a big difference," said Nancy Pelosi. "It is 720,000 jobs fewer than January of last year."

Among a series of steps to boost job growth, the president has proposed using $30 billion from loans the government made to financial institutions to help stimulate bank lending to small businesses.

Next week, the Senate will take an $80-billion jobs bill, which includes tax cuts as incentives¹⁸ for Republicans, who although they remain in the minority now have enough seats to block major legislation.

Senator Richard Durbin appealed to Republicans to work with Democrats.

"This is a good faith offer on the Democratic side," said Richard Durbin. "We are inviting¹⁹ our friends on the Republican side to join us.  Bring your best ideas forward.  Let's put these on the floor and move on them with a sense of urgency."

But Republican Senator John McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to President Obama, challenged the president's job creation proposals and what McCain called out-of-control spending.

"The president says he is going to have a spending freeze next year and in the very next breath proposes a $100 billion in new spending called a jobs bill, not a stimulus bill, but a jobs bill," said John McCain. "It is out of control."

President Obama is scheduled to meet next week with House and Senate Democrats and Republicans as part of his efforts to encourage bipartisan cooperation.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the drop in overall unemployment reported on Friday encouraging, but added continuing job losses were discouraging, underlining the need to advance the president's tax cut and loan incentive¹⁷ goals to stimulate small business hiring. 

 

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 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。

7 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。

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

11 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。

12 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

14 assailed   

v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对

参考例句：

• He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
• He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》

15 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。

16 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

17 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

18 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

19 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。