CNN新闻：美国就业增长数据下调

US Job Growth Revised Downward

常速 | 六级 中等 | 146词 | 53秒

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. What is the primary subject of the new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

A. The financial health of U.S. businesses.

B. The accuracy of reported job growth figures.

C. The status of public welfare programs.

D. The impact of educational reforms on employment.

Q2. According to the text, what was the finding of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual review of employment data?

A. The U.S. created 818,000 more jobs than initially reported.

B. The review found no discrepancies in employment data.

C. Job growth remained consistent with previous reports.

D. There were 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported.

Q3. How do economists view the new job growth numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

A. As an irrelevant piece of data.

B. As a critical gauge for the U.S. labor market and economy.

C. As an indication that the economy is booming.

D. As a reason to disregard earlier reports entirely.

Q4. What can be inferred about how the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ findings impact future economic decisions?

A. They may lead to changes in public health policies.

B. They are used to finalize welfare budgets immediately.

C. They influence key decisions such as adjustments to interest rates.

D. They provide guidance for future educational initiatives.

Q5. What might the Federal Reserve do in response to the recent job growth numbers?

A. Weigh interest rate cuts.

B. Increase interest rates.

C. Maintain current interest rates.

D. Disregard the employment data altogether.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

US Job Growth Revised Downward

Next up, new data just released is showing that (Q1) job growth in the U.S. over the past year was not as strong as once thought. (Q2) The Bureau of Labor Statistics did an annual review of its employment data and found that there were 818,000 fewer jobs in March of this year than were initially reported. Spread out over the course of last year, that would be about 68,000 fewer jobs per month. The Bureau conducts this review every year, and the estimates are still preliminary. They won’t be finalized until next year. (Q3) But right now, economists are looking at these numbers as a critical gauge for the U.S. labor market and overall health of the economy. (Q4) Job growth dropping off more than expected in recent months is (Q5) something the Federal Reserve will be watching closely as it weighs interest rate cuts, a key factor for inflation.

bureau n. 局，处（通常指政府部门）

gauge n. 测量，标准，指标

inflation n. 通货膨胀

Part III. KEY

Q1. B. 主旨题。根据“job growth in the U.S. over the past year was not as strong as once thought. The Bureau of Labor Statistics did an annual review of its employment data and found that there were 818,000 fewer jobs in March of this year than were initially reported.” 可知过去一年美国的就业增长不如人们想象的那样强劲。劳工统计局对其就业数据进行了年度审查，发现实际数据比最初报告人少，因此，主要涉及的主题是报告就业增长数据的准确性。因此答案为B。

Q2. D. 细节题。根据“The Bureau of Labor Statistics did an annual review of its employment data and found that there were 818,000 fewer jobs in March of this year than were initially reported.” 可知劳工统计局对其就业数据进行了年度审查，发现今年3月的职位比最初报告的少了818,000个。因此答案为D。

Q3. B. 细节题。根据“economists are looking at these numbers as a critical gauge for the U.S. labor market and overall health of the economy.” 可知经济学家将这些数字视为衡量美国劳动力市场和整体经济健康状况的重要指标。因此答案为B。

Q4.C. 推理题。根据“Job growth dropping off more than expected in recent months is something the Federal Reserve will be watching closely as it weighs interest rate cuts, a key factor for inflation.” 可知美联储密切关注就业增长趋势，因为它是美联储衡量是否降息时重点关注的要素，因此可以推断，这些发现影响了美联储对利率调整的决策。因此答案为C。

Q5. A. 细节题。根据“something the Federal Reserve will be watching closely as it weighs interest rate cuts, a key factor for inflation.” 可知根据最近的就业增长数据，美联储在权衡是否降息。因此答案为A。

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