VOA慢速英語：中東沖突及歐洲、中國經(jīng)濟疲軟導(dǎo)致全球股市低迷

U.S. stock prices fell sharply Monday, following conflicts in the Middle East, and weaker economies in China and in Europe.

由于中東沖突、中國與歐洲經(jīng)濟疲軟。周一，美國股市大幅下跌。

U.S. stocks started the new year with the most selling of stocks and investments since September 2015, reported CBS News.

U.S. stock prices fell sharply on Monday. This photo shows a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

據(jù)CBS新聞報道，自2015年9月，美國股市以拋售股票與投資開啟新的一年。

Stocks lost between 2 percent and 3 percent in trading.

在交易中，股市下跌2%到3%。

The weaker economy in China "reignited fears of a global slowdown," according to Reuters.

據(jù)路透社報道，中國經(jīng)濟疲軟“再度引發(fā)全球經(jīng)濟放緩的擔憂”。

Chinese stocks fell about 7 percent Monday. This caused officials to halt trading for the day to stop the falls on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges. Visit the website www.chinavoa.com to get more information!

周一，中國股票下跌約7%。這導(dǎo)致官員們停盤以阻止滬深交易所繼續(xù)下跌。

It was the first time China used a "circuit breaker," said CBS News. A "circuit breaker" in a stock exchange stops trading that happens when investors panic and sell too much in too short a time.

據(jù)CBS報道，這是中國首次采用“熔斷機制”。熔斷機制是指當投資者出于恐慌，短時間內(nèi)過量拋售時，證券交易所停止交易。

Reports showed that Chinese manufacturers are not producing as much as before. Investors say China's economic growth is slowing.

報告顯示，中國制造商的生產(chǎn)大不如前。投資者表示，中國的經(jīng)濟增長放緩。

China is the world's second-largest economy and a key market for many other nations.

中國是全球第二大經(jīng)濟體，也是其他許多國家的重要市場。

Japan's Nikkei index was down 3 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell more than 2 1/2 percent by the close of trading.

日本日經(jīng)指數(shù)下跌了3%，香港恒生指數(shù)在收盤時跌幅超過2.5%。

European markets followed Asia's lead. Germany's stock market was down more than 4 percent. The British stock market fell by more than 2 percent.

歐洲股市也跟隨亞洲股市下跌。德國股市下跌超過4%。英國股市下跌超過2%。

Meanwhile, crude oil prices increased. Analysts are concerned that tension between oil producers Saudi Arabia and Iran might reduce energy supplies.

與此同時，原油價格有所上漲。分析人士擔心石油生產(chǎn)國沙特與伊朗之間的緊張局勢可能會減少能源供應(yīng)。

I'm Mary Gotschall.

我是瑪麗·歌切爾。

Mary Gotschall adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News and other sources. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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Words in This Story

slowdown – n. a decrease in the speed at which something is moving or happening

slump – n. a period of time when an economy is doing poorly

tension – n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other

reignite – v. to cause (something) to suddenly occur again

mechanism – n. a process or system that is used to produce a particular result

tension – n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other