一、泛聽建議:
1、完整聽一遍,掌握大意。
2、繼續(xù)聽,特別注意關(guān)鍵信息。遇到相似的詞,寫下來。
3、復(fù)述新聞。
Home prices in the nation's largest cities are up nearly 11% over the past year. That's the largest increase in seven years. But economist Mark Vitner with Wells Fargo says much of the rise _1_ by investors snapping up houses rather than by families buying homes to live in.
去年美國大城市的房價上漲了近11%。這是七年來的最大漲幅。但是富國銀行的經(jīng)濟學(xué)家馬克·維特納表示,上漲的大部分原因是由于投資者搶購住房,而不是家庭買來居住。
"The home ownership rate _2_ to drop, and actually the number of homeowners has declined by 91,000 over the last year. So we actually have fewer home owners stay even though prices are up."
“住房自有率持續(xù)下降,實際上去年房主的數(shù)量下降了91,000人。所以實際上雖然房價上升了,但是房主數(shù)量卻減少了。”
The biggest gains we’ve seen in Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
漲幅最大的城市為鳳凰城、舊金山和拉斯維加斯。
Consumer confidence in the US economy has risen to its highest level in more than five years. NPR's John Ydstie says the gains and the Conference Board’s index of consumer attitudes _3_ economists' expectations.
消費者對美國經(jīng)濟的信心創(chuàng)五年來新高。據(jù)NPR新聞的約翰·伊斯蒂報道,信心的增長及美國諮商會消費者信心指數(shù)超過了經(jīng)濟學(xué)家的預(yù)期。
A Board spokesperson says that consumers who earlier in the year _4_ about higher taxes and federal spending cuts are now showing more optimism. Rising stock prices and home values along with steady job growth are contributing to that optimism. Job growth has averaged over 200,000 a month in the past half a year. That's 15% stronger than in the preceding six months. Investors hope more confident consumers will continue to push their _5_ higher.
美國諮商會一名發(fā)言人表示,年初擔(dān)心增稅和聯(lián)邦減支計劃的消費者現(xiàn)在顯得更為樂觀。股票價格、房價的上漲以及就業(yè)率穩(wěn)定上升使消費者更加樂觀。在過去半年里,就業(yè)人口平均每月增加200,000個。這一數(shù)據(jù)較前六個月增長了15%。投資者希望更有信心的消費者會繼續(xù)拉動支出的增加。
That would boost economic growth and profits. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.
這會促進經(jīng)濟增長,增加利潤。NPR新聞,約翰·伊斯蒂華盛頓報道。
詞匯解析:
1. snap up
搶購,趕緊買下(便宜或心儀之物);
eg. Every time we get a new delivery of clothes, people are queuing to snap them up.
每次新到一批服裝時,人們都在排起長隊來搶購。
eg. One eagle-eyed collector snapped up a pair of Schiaparelli earrings for just £6.
一個眼疾手快的收藏家以僅僅 6 英鎊的價錢搶到了一副斯基亞帕雷利設(shè)計的耳環(huán)。
eg. Should that be the case, savvy investors might spot an opportunity to snap up cheap assets.
若果真如此,精明的投資者可能會注意到一個搶購廉價資產(chǎn)的機會。
參考答案:
1、was fueled 2、is continuing 3、exceeded
4、were worried 5、spending