And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we turn our attention to the economy.我是Barbara Klein，这星期我们来关注一下经济。
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VOICE ONE:
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An employee loads a TV for a shopper at Circuit City, a major seller of electronics. It sought bankruptcy protection last month and is closing one-fifth of its stores to reorganize. | | |
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A lot of people have thought for months that the United States is in a recession. But the economy is not officially in a recession until a private research organization says it is. Guess what? Last Monday the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the United States has been in a recession for the past year.很多美国人几个月前就认为美国经济陷入了不景气。但直到一家私人调查组织宣布前并没有得到官方承认。怎么回事呢，上星期一国家经济研究局宣布从去年美国经济就一直不景气。
Economists on the Business Cycle Dating Committee met by conference call on Friday, November twenty-eighth. They decided that economic activity reached a high point in December of two thousand seven. It peaked after eight years of expansion.经济周期测定委员会的专家们在十一月二十八日星期五开会，他们说经济活动在2007年十二月达到了至高点。在八年的膨胀后，经济达到了顶点。
The United States was last in a recession from March to November of two thousand one. Some economists say the current recession could last into two thousand ten. But how long, and how bad, it will be is really anyone's guess.美国是从2001年的三月到十一月开始的经济不景气的殿后者。一些经济学家说现在的低迷可能会持续到2010年。但多长时间，有多严重谁都不知道。
VOICE TWO:
The United States has the world's largest economy. Japan has the second largest. It, too, is in a recession, officially announced on November seventeenth. That was four days after Germany confirmed a recession in its economy, the largest in Europe.美国拥有世界最大的经济体。日本第二。日本也处在不景气中，十一月十七日正式宣布。在欧洲最大经济体德国证实了经济不景气后的第四天。
One way to measure an economy is by the value of goods and services produced within a country -- its gross domestic product. The latest estimate shows that America's G.D.P. fell by half a percent between July and September. It also shrank at the end of last year.一个衡量经济的方法是国内商品服务价值--国内生产总值。最近的评估显示美国国内生产总值在七月到九月下降了一半。在去年底也收缩过。
But in between it grew. Recessions are commonly defined as at least six months in a row of decrease in G.D.P. The committee does not use this definition. Instead it uses a number of different reports to identify a recession. 但在这期间，它上升过。一般连续六个月的国内生产总值下降才被定义为不景气。委员会不使用这个定义而是使用一些不同的报告来识别经济不景气。
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Lower prices for new houses in Springfield, Illinois |
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The economic crisis began with the collapse of property values, the bursting of the housing bubble in the United States. Investments built on high-risk mortgage loans became "toxic." No one wanted to trust banks that owned them. Credit markets froze.Governments around the world have had to intervene aggressively to support their financial systems.经济危机以美国所有权价值的崩溃，房地产泡沫的破裂为开始。基于高风险的抵押贷款的投资变成了毒药。没人会相信欠他们钱的银行。信用卡市场冷冻了。全世界的政府都必须积极干涉以支持他们的金融体系。
VOICE ONE:
Barack Obama has to wait until January twentieth to become president. But he has already moved faster than most newly elected presidents to name his economic team. He wants to get an early start on an economic recovery plan big enough to contain the recession. His goal is to save or create two and a half million jobs by January of two thousand eleven.
Barack Obama要等到一月二十日才能成为总统。但和其他新当选的总统比，它更快的组织他的经济团队。他想要尽早一个经济复苏计划来控制不景气。他的目标是在2011年前创造2500000个工作机会。
He wants Congress to have legislation ready for him to sign into law soon after he takes office.他要议会制定出他上任后能尽快实施的相关法律。
VOICE TWO:
Last Tuesday President-elect Obama met with the nation's governors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He said he wants their help in designing his economic recovery plan.上星期二当选总统Barack Obama在费城会见各州州长。他说他需要他们的帮助来设计经济复苏计划。
State and local governments are collecting less tax money as a result of falling property values, rising unemployment and other problems. Most of the fifty states are required to balance their budgets. Most are now facing deficits. So that means they have to cut services or raise taxes, or both.国家和地方政府的税收由于所有权价值降低和失业率上升和其他问题而降低了。五十个州中的大部分要平衡预算。多数面临赤字。这意味着他们必须削减服务设施或增加税收，或双管齐下。
Last Monday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a "fiscal emergency" in California. He acted under a constitutional amendment passed by state voters in two thousand four. It requires California to balance its budget.上星期一，州长Arnold Schwarzenegger 《阿诺施瓦辛格》在加州宣布财政紧急状态。他根据2004年通过的宪法修正案采取行动。它需要加州平衡预算。
The declaration lets the governor call a special meeting of the legislature to pass measures within forty-five days to deal with the budget crisis. He wants a combination of spending cuts and tax increases in the nation's most populous state.声明允许州长召开立法机关特别会议，在四十五天内通过应对措施以处理预算危机。他要在这个国家人口最多的州削减支出和增加税收。
Early estimates show that over the next eighteen months, California's budget deficit could reach twenty-eight billion dollars. That is more than double the current shortfall.早些时候的估计，在以后十八个月，加州的预算赤字会达到280亿美元。比现在的差额多一倍多。
Governor Schwarzenegger warned that without quick action, California could be out of money in February.州长Arnold Schwarzenegger 警告说如不采取迅速行动，加州在二月就会没钱了。
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VOICE ONE:
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U.S. fuel prices are at their lowest in almost five years | | |
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Motorists are happy at the drop in fuel prices. But economically speaking, there is not much else to be happy about.乘车者为油价下降高兴。但从经济的角度说，没什么值得高兴的。
Stock prices climb one day, then fall the next. Investments and retirement savings have shrunk. The economic downturn has millions of people worried about keeping their jobs and their homes.股价上升，第二天又下降。投资和退休储蓄缩减了。经济萎缩让上百万的人担心工作和养家。
Americans have cut back on spending, and not just for things like travel and entertainment, or new cars. Some are limiting medical and dental care to only the services they need most. They may be saving money, but also taking a risk.美国人已经开始缩减开支，不只是缩减诸如旅游娱乐或新车。一些人限制了一些如牙齿方面的医疗费用而把钱花在最需要的地方。也许省了钱，但也冒了险。
VOICE TWO:
One family trying to save money is the Jeffries of Carbondale, Colorado. Sarah Jeffries and her husband, Wayne, have two children: a son, age five, and a daughter, age two.
the Jeffries 是一个卡罗拉多州卡尔代本的试图省钱的家庭。Sarah Jeffries 和她的丈夫Wayne, 有两个孩子。五岁的儿子和两岁的女儿。
Wayne Jeffries is a manager for a construction company. Sarah says other builders in the area are letting workers go because of weak demand. She says her husband's company has projects through the middle of next year. But no one knows what will happen after that.
Wayne Jeffries是一家建筑公司的经理。Sarah说其他建筑商因为生意少而解雇工人。他说她丈夫的公司的项目可以做到明年年中。但以后怎样就不知道了。
VOICE ONE:
Fear of losing a job is a big reason why people are looking to save money. Sarah Jeffries says she buys things only when the price has been reduced. She gets all the children' s clothes from used clothing stores.害怕失去工作是人们想法省钱的原因。Sarah说她只买减价货。她孩子的衣服都是从二手服装店买的。
She says the family does not eat at restaurants as much as they used to. Sarah also says she looks for money-saving coupons to use at the grocery store because of high food prices. And she makes an extra effort not to waste any food. One or two times a week the Jeffries have what they call "picnic night."她说现在她们不象以前那样经常去饭店吃饭。她说她也寻找优惠券去杂货店买东西，因为食品价格很高。她还作了其他努力来避免浪费食物。每星期一到两次，Jeffries一家会有她们称作野餐之夜的活动。
That is, the kids call it picnic night. To the parents, it provides a way to use foods left over from meals earlier in the week. But Sarah serves the leftovers on plates on a blanket on the floor, and says the children love it.就是，孩子们称之为野餐之夜，对大人来说，是一种处理一星期剩饭的方式。但Sarah 把那些剩饭放在地板上的一个篮子里，她说孩子们很喜欢。
VOICE TWO:
Saving money is also a goal this holiday season at the Jeffries' house. Sarah says the family used to spend about one thousand five hundred dollars on Christmas gifts and decorations each year. But this year, she says they will spend between seven and eight hundred dollars.在今年的节日中省钱也是Jeffries一家的目标。Sarah 说家里每年在圣诞节礼物和装饰上都要花1500美元左右。但今年，她说她们会花700到800美元。
One way they are cutting back is by reducing the number of gifts they buy. Sarah and Wayne generally exchange Christmas gifts with each other and with her parents and brother who live in the area. This year, the adults have all decided not to buy each other gifts. Instead, they are each putting fifty dollars toward a Nintendo Wii video-game system that they plan to share.一个省钱的方法是减少礼物数量。她们夫妻之间，和父母兄弟之间一般都要交换礼物。今年，成年人都已经决定不再互相买礼物。而是各出50美元买一个任天堂游戏机来一起玩。
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VOICE ONE:
Personal spending is a big part of the American economy. It represents about seventy percent of the gross domestic product.个人消费是美国经济的一大部分。占美国GDP的百分之七十。
For many businesses, anywhere from twenty-five to forty percent of their sales all year normally come during the winter holiday season.对很多企业来说，一年百分之二十五到百分之四十的销售额来自寒假期间。
The shopping season traditionally begins on the day after Thanksgiving. The day is called "Black Friday." The name comes from the tradition of recording profits in black ink and losses in red. Black Friday is when stores hope to return to the black for the year.购物季节传统上开始于感恩节后。那天被称作黑色星期五。这个称呼来自用黑墨水记录盈利用红墨水记录亏损的传统。黑色星期五是商店希望盈利的日子。
VOICE TWO:
Many stores now open before sunrise and offer extra special deals for early shoppers on Black Friday. The National Retail Federation found that almost one-fourth of shoppers this year arrived at stores by five o'clock in the morning.许多商店现在天亮前开门并为在黑色星期五早上购物的顾客提供特别服务。美国零售业联合会发现今年大概四分之一的顾客在早上五点之前就到商店了。
Black Friday used to be the biggest shopping day of the year. And it still may be the day when the largest number of shoppers visit stores. An estimated seventy-four million people visited stores and Web sites on Black Friday this year. But Black Friday is no longer necessarily the day when shoppers spend the most money.黑色星期五曾经是一年里最大的购物日。现在也许还是购物者人数最多的日子。今年估计有7400万顾客在黑色星期五这天去商店或网站。但不一定是顾客花钱最多的日子。
VOICE ONE:
With the economy down, shoppers are thinking carefully before making holiday purchases and looking for the best values. Black Friday this year was better than expected. But stores were offering big price reductions -- sacrificing profits, and possibly risking their futures.由于经济下降，消费者现在在节日购物前会仔细考虑并寻找最佳性价比。今年的黑色星期五比预计要好。但商店提供了大减价--牺牲利润，也许是在拿未来冒险。
VOICE TWO:
Americans are better known for spending money than for saving it.But now, some are trying to save by reducing the debt they owe on credit cards. Others are trying to avoid taking on new debt. Still others have had their credit limits reduced as a result of the financial crisis.美国人以花钱而不是攒钱闻名。但现在，一些人正努力减少信用卡上的负债来省钱。其他人正在努力避免新的负债。其他人已经由于经济危机已经降低了信贷限额。
The Coinstar company reports that almost one-fourth of Americans say they are paying for purchases with cash more often than they did a year ago. Using cash, they say, helps them manage their money better and reduce credit card debt.通记隆公司报道说大约四分之一的美国人和去年相比更经常使用现金购物。他们说，用现金，可以帮助他们管好钱并减少信用卡负债。
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VOICE ONE:
Recently we asked some shoppers at the big Potomac Mills Mall, south of Washington, D.C., how the economy is affecting their lives. Erica Scott lives in Culpeper, Virginia:最近我们访问了华盛顿南部he big Potomac Mills 商业街的一些消费者，经济是怎样影响他们的生活的。Erica Scott 住在弗吉尼亚的库帕尔。
ERICA SCOTT: "We have our own business. So, we're feeling it there.Calls are slowing down. So, we're just trying to cut back wherever we can. We've had to let a few employees go. We do a lot of contracts with the Virginia Department of Transportation and they've cut back on their contracts, so we've had to cut back. We're eating out less, cutting more coupons out, shopping for cheaper gas, going to outlet malls instead of normal malls ... "我们自己有生意。所以我们有体会，顾客减少了。所以我们尽量减少开支。我们不得不解雇一些员工。我们和弗吉尼亚交通部有很多合同，他们减少了合同，我们也必须减少。我们外出吃饭少了，减少了优惠券，买更便宜的汽油，去批发商店而不是普通商店。
VOICE TWO:
Some shoppers are waiting to see how the economy does under the new administration. Dennis Aanderud of Spotsylvania, Virginia, put it this way:一些消费者正在观望。看新政府管理下经济会怎样发展。维吉尼亚州的斯波特瑟尔维尼亚的Dennis Aanderud 这样说：
DENNIS AANDERUD: "My wife would like to get a large-screen TV, and maybe a car. We're just going to wait and see which way things are going. Things are in a very volatile situation right now and I think people are just waiting to look and see what President-elect Obama does."我妻子想要个大屏幕电视，也许一辆汽车。我们只会事情怎样发展。现在情况反复无常，我想人们正在观察新任总统奥巴马怎么作。
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