VOA慢速英語: 2014年一些出人意料的經(jīng)濟新聞

Some Surprises Among Economic Stories in 2014

In this Dec. 16, 2014 file photo, a man walks by a sign advertising currencies of an exchange office in Moscow, Russia. Lower oil prices and economic sanctions have damaged Russian economy. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File )

2014年一些出人意料的經(jīng)濟新聞     

Some of the major economic stories of 2014 were surprises. Today, we tell you about a few of them. But, we also want to know which economic stories were important to you this year.

2014年的一些經(jīng)濟新聞很出人意料。今天，我們就來講述其中的一些。但是我們也想知道今年哪些經(jīng)濟新聞報道對你最重要。

First on our list, is the unexpected drop in the price of oil that began in June.

首先是六月份石油價格出乎意外的下降。

Oil Prices Decrease

石油價格下降

Often, low oil prices fuel growth, but this year the price drop has helped some countries while hurting others.

通常，石油價格上漲，但是今年的石油價格下跌對一些國家有利，但同時也損害了另一些國家的利益。

Increased American oil production is one reason for the drop in world oil prices. The drilling method called hydraulic fracturing developed in the U.S. has helped make the increase possible. Recovering fossil fuels from rock shale has also increased supplies in the U.S.

美國石油產量的增加是世界油價下降的一個原因。美國開發(fā)的水力壓裂鉆井技術幫助美國盡可能多的生產更多的油。從巖頁層中獲取礦物燃料也增加了美國的能源供應。

Experts say slowing economies in China and in Europe have reduced demand for oil. Increasing supply and decreasing demand usually result in falling prices.

專家稱中國和歐洲的經(jīng)濟發(fā)展放緩也減少了石油需求。供應不斷增加而需求減少導致價格下降。

In the past, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, has reacted to price drops by decreasing production. But this year that did not happen. At OPEC’s meeting in November, members chose to leave production levels unchanged.

過去，石油輸出國組織通過減少石油生產來應對石油價格下降。但是，今年，這種做法不能起作用了。11月歐佩克會議上，成員國選擇保持生產規(guī)模不變。

Russian Economy Slows from Oil Prices, Sanctions

由于石油價格和制裁的影響，俄羅斯經(jīng)濟放緩，

The huge drop in the price of oil this year helped create another major story: Russia’s slowing economy. Russian officials said they expect the country’s economy to shrink in 2015, or go into recession. Two reasons for this are reduced income from oil sales and the effects of restrictions placed on Russia because of its actions in Ukraine.

今年石油價格的大幅下降導致另一件事：俄羅斯經(jīng)濟發(fā)展放緩。俄羅斯官員稱他們預計2015年，經(jīng)濟發(fā)展會收縮，甚至出現(xiàn)衰退。出現(xiàn)這種情況有兩種原因：石油出口收入減少，因為俄羅斯對烏克蘭采取的行動而遭到的制裁。

The exchange rate for Russia’s currency, the ruble, has dropped sharply against the dollar. In mid-December, the European Union agreed to increase sanctions against Russia. They include restrictions on finance and tourism in Crimea.

俄羅斯貨幣：盧布的匯率，兌換美元大幅下跌。12月中旬，歐盟一致同意對俄羅斯進行制裁。這些制裁措施包括對金融和對克里米亞地區(qū)的旅游的制裁。

US Economy Shows Signs of Improvement

美國經(jīng)濟呈現(xiàn)上升趨勢

The U.S. economy showed signs of strengthening this year. The Department of Commerce updated the most recent measure of the economy. It said the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 5 percent from July to September.

今年，美國經(jīng)濟發(fā)展勢頭強勁。美國商務部更新最近采取的經(jīng)濟措施。美國經(jīng)濟從7月到9月，增長了5%。

The Dow Jones Industrial Index extended above 18,000 in 2014. That is the highest level ever for the widely reported measure of stock market value.

2014年，道瓊斯工業(yè)指數(shù)達到18000，是股市市值采取措施有史以來最高水平。

In other financial news, the U.S. central bank ended its last round of the program known as quantitative easing in October. The program by the U.S. Federal Reserve System bought trillions of dollars of securities. Experts says the program helped support the U.S. economy and kept interest rates low.

其它金融新聞，美國中央銀行結束了最后一輪十月份的量化寬松政策的計劃。這個項目由聯(lián)邦儲備體系購買數(shù)萬億的證券。專家稱這個計劃有助于支持美國經(jīng)濟發(fā)展，保持低利率。

Also, the face of America’s central bank, the U.S. Federal Reserve System, changed in 2014. The Senate confirmed Janet Yellen to lead the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in January. She is the first woman to lead the nation’s central bank in its 100-year history.

美國中央銀行，聯(lián)邦儲備體系在2014年都做出改變。1月份，參議院證實珍奈特·耶倫擔任聯(lián)邦儲備體系理事會主席。她是國家中央銀行成立100年以來的第一位女性主席。

Other Economic Events…

其它經(jīng)濟事件…

Hilton Worldwide announced it was selling the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City to a Chinese company for $1.95 billion. The buyer – Anbang Insurance Group – offered one of highest prices ever for a U.S. hotel. Hilton Worldwide says it will use the money from the sale to buy other hotels in the United States. The Chinese buyer has said it will invest in remodeling the property on Park Avenue to bring it back to its “historical grandeur.”

希爾頓酒店集團宣布以19億5千萬美元的價格向中國公司出售位于紐約的著名的華爾道夫酒店。購買者——安邦保險集團給出的價格最高。希爾頓酒店集團稱會用這筆錢來購買美國其它的酒店。而中國購買商稱會投資改建公園大道，使其重現(xiàn)“歷史壯觀景象”。

The ride-sharing company Uber faced legal actions in several countries. The Indian government called for all unregistered taxi services to halt operations in December. The order came after an Uber driver reportedly raped a woman in New Delhi, the capital. Uber uses a mobile app to link drivers and people seeking a ride.

乘車共享公司優(yōu)步面臨多個國家采取的法律行動。12月份，印度政府要求沒有注冊的出租車服務暫停運營。發(fā)布這項命令是因為優(yōu)步公司司機在首都新德里強奸一名女性。優(yōu)步使用一款移動APP來連接司機和需要打車的人。

Uber has faced or is facing bans in Germany, Spain, India, and Thailand. France recently said it plans to block Uber services that use non-professional drivers. Uber competes with established taxi services in many cities around the world.

優(yōu)步在德國、西班牙、印度和泰國已經(jīng)或正面臨禁令。近期，法國稱計劃阻止使用非職業(yè)司機的優(yōu)步服務。優(yōu)步公司與全球多個城市的出租車服務進行競爭。

Most recently, reports say government lawyers in South Korea have brought charges against the American founder of Uber. The Seoul prosecutor's office brought charges against Uber’s chief Travis Kalanick for violating a law banning unlicensed taxi services.

最近有報道稱：韓國的政府律師已經(jīng)控告美國的優(yōu)步公司。首爾的檢察辦公室已經(jīng)指控優(yōu)步的首席執(zhí)行官特拉維斯·卡蘭尼克，違反法律，并禁止無執(zhí)照的出租車服務。

Those are only a few of the major economic stories this year. Tell us what you think were the most important stories in the U.S and around the world. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

這只是今年的一些主要的經(jīng)濟事件。告訴我們你認為的最重要的故事，可以給我們的郵箱發(fā)郵件[email protected].

I’m Mario Ritter.

我是馬里奧·瑞特。

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Words in This Story

securities – n. plural, evidence of ownership that has financial value, such as a stock or bond; a financial contract

sanctions – n. an action taken to persuade a country to obey international law

unregistered- adj. officially placed on a list of people or groups permitted to carry out some kind of activity

app – n. (short for application) a computer program often used in connection with mobile technology