[ti:US Economy Shrinks at Sharpest Rate Since Great Depression]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]The United States economy shrank at a yearly rate of 32.9 percent
[00:10.64]between April and June of this year.
[00:14.92]It is the worst quarterly contraction in the economy ever recorded.
[00:24.04]The contraction came as the coronavirus pandemic
[00:28.68]pushed struggling businesses to close
[00:32.28]for a second time in many parts of the country.
[00:37.72]The closures have left millions of Americans out of work.
[00:44.92]The U.S. Commerce Department released the economic numbers Thursday.
[00:51.12]Its estimate of the contraction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
[00:56.20]is the worst since the government began keeping such records in 1947.
[01:04.92]The decrease comes after a 5 percent drop in economic activity
[01:10.68]during the first three months of the year.
[01:14.68]That is when the economy officially entered a recession,
[01:19.08]ending 11 years of growth, the longest on record in the country.
[01:27.36]The record-setting contraction resulted from a collapse in consumer spending,
[01:33.48]which makes up about 70 percent of economic activity.
[01:39.96]Restaurants, stores, and theaters closed, while Americans stopped traveling.
[01:47.76]People did not spend as much money because there was nowhere to spend it.
[01:54.84]The drop in GDP shows the "unprecedented hit to the economy
[02:00.96]from the pandemic,"said economist Andrew Hunter.
[02:06.76]He added that "it will take years" for the economy to recover.
[02:12.40]Hunter works for Capital Economics,
[02:15.88]an economic research service based in London.
[02:21.96]So great was the contraction that many experts expect economic activity
[02:28.20]to rise sharply during the current quarter.
[02:32.36]Some predict the economy will grow as much as 17 percent, or higher,
[02:38.56]between now and the end of September.
[02:43.96]Yet with the rate of confirmed coronavirus cases rising in many states,
[02:50.44]more businesses are being forced
[02:53.44]to either cancel their reopening, or close down again.
[02:59.24]In addition, the U.S. Senate is considering a proposal
[03:03.96]to cut government aid to the unemployed.
[03:07.84]So, it is possible the economy could get even worse in the months to come.
[03:15.96]In addition to consumer spending, business investment dropped 27 percent
[03:22.68]and housing fell 38.7 percent between April and June.
[03:30.88]State and local governments have been hurt by the loss of tax money and job losses.
[03:38.08]State and local government spending decreased by a yearly rate of 5.6 percent.
[03:46.96]But total government spending was up 2.7 percent
[03:52.44]because of federal efforts to ease the pain of the recession.
[03:58.32]Federal spending has risen 17.4 percent,
[04:03.04]mostly for more than $2 trillion in a coronavirus aid plan.
[04:10.56]Congress sent many Americans $1,200,
[04:15.60]gave loans to many businesses and increased unemployment aid.
[04:23.16]Congressional leaders and the Trump administration are talking about more aid
[04:28.56]for people and businesses to fight the recession.
[04:33.84]In a separate report Thursday,
[04:36.56]the Labor Department said requests for unemployment aid
[04:40.56]increased 12,000 to 1.434 million in the week ending July 25.
[04:49.96]Nearly 30.2 million jobless Americans are receiving unemployment aid.
[04:58.84]President Trump has urged states to reopen businesses.
[05:04.04]But there are worries that the virus remains a threat to workers and consumers
[05:10.20]at service industry jobs that often require face-to-face contact.
[05:17.88]Many economists say the economy cannot fully recover until the coronavirus is defeated.
[05:26.24]Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday
[05:30.88]that the virus has been endangering a small economic recovery.
[05:36.32]For that reason, he said, the U.S. central bank plans
[05:41.72]to keep interest rates near zero well into the future.
[05:47.48]I'm Susan Shand.
[05:51.68]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
END OF TRACK. "END OF TRACK." The two men bowed. "Whoever was that person you were talking to?" she enquired, as soon as they stood together. The took of triumph faded from her eyes, she had grown worn and weary. The roses were wilting on the walls, the lights were mostly down now. Hetty, looking in to see if anything was wanted, found herself driven away almost fiercely. I only saw Master Jervie once when he called at tea time, The year 1747 was opened by measures of restriction. The House of Lords, offended at the publication of the proceedings of the trial of Lord Lovat, summoned the parties to their bar, committed them to prison, and refused to liberate them till they had pledged themselves not to repeat the offence, and had paid very heavy fees. The consequence of this was that the transactions of the Peers were almost entirely suppressed for nearly thirty years from this time, and we draw our knowledge of them chiefly from notes taken by Horace Walpole and Lord Chancellor Hardwicke. What is still more remarkable, the reports of the House of Commons, being taken by stealth, and on the merest sufferance, are of the most meagre kind, sometimes altogether wanting, and the speeches are given uniformly under fictitious names; for to have attributed to Pitt or Pelham their[112] speeches by name would have brought down on the printers the summary vengeance of the House. Many of the members complained bitterly of this breach of the privileges of Parliament, and of "being put into print by low fellows"; but Pelham had the sense to tolerate them, saying, "Let them alone; they make better speeches for us than we can make for ourselves." Altogether, the House of Commons exhibited the most deplorable aspect that can be conceived. The Ministry had pursued Walpole's system of buying up opponents by place, or pension, or secret service money, till there was no life left in the House. Ministers passed their measures without troubling themselves to say much in their behalf; and the opposition dwindled to Sir John Hinde Cotton, now dismissed from office, and a feeble remnant of Jacobites raised but miserable resistance. In vain the Prince of Wales and the secret instigations of Bolingbroke and Doddington stimulated the spirit of discontent; both Houses had degenerated into most silent and insignificant arenas of very commonplace business. "It certainly will be. Miss Widgeon," answered Maria, with strictly "company manners." "One who has never had a brother exposed to the constant dangers of army life can hardly understand how glad we all feel to have Si snatched from the very jaws of death and brung back to us." "Just plug at 'em as you would at a crow, and then go on your way whistlin'?" persisted Harry. "Hurroo!" echoed Hennessey; "that's the ticket." "Come forward, keeper," continued the baron, "and state how these arrows came into your hands!" "Yes." HoMEJULIA京香2018下载
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