From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
The Commerce Department says the U.S. economy expanded at its fastest rate in more than two years. From April through June, the economy grew at a rate of 4.6 percent. That is good news following the first three-month of the year when the country's economy shrank by more than two percent.
美国商务部表示,美国经济以两年多来最快的速度增长。从今年4月到6月,美国经济以4.6%的速度增长。这是美国今年首季度经济萎缩超过2%之后的一大好消息。
Some economists say the second quarter growth is a sign that the U.S. economy is finally improving. Others are not so sure.
一些经济学家表示,今年二季度的增长是美国经济终于改善的迹象。另一些经济学家则不这么认为。
A severe winter is blamed for hurting businesses and keeping Americans away from shopping centers early in the year. The sharp increase in economic activity from April to June was welcome.
今年年初的寒冬被指为影响企业并让美国人不去购物中心的元凶。今年4月到6月经济活动的显著增长颇受欢迎。
But Bankrate.com financial expert Greg McBride says it is only three-month of growth. He spoke with VOA on Skype.
但Bankrate.com网站的理财专家格雷格·麦克布莱德(Greg McBride)表示,这只是三个月的增长而已。他通过Skype对美国之音表示。
"It's certainly nice to see a rebound after the disastrous first quarter that we had. But as I like to say - one in a row is not a streak," McBride said.
“我们当然很高兴看到在经过灾难性的第一季度之后经济反弹,但我想说,一次反弹不代表连续反弹。”
Much depends on whether the economy continues to improve in the last six-month of 2014.
这在很大程度上依赖于今年下半年经济是否会继续改善。
However, the sharp fall in the first three months of the year means the gross domestic product - the widest measure of the nation's economic output - is unlikely to increase more than last year's 2.2 percent growth.
然后,今年前三个月经济增长的急剧下降意味着今年美国国内生产总值(GDP)的增长率不太可能超过去年的2.2%。国内生产总值是衡量国家经济产出最广泛的尺度。
Investors on Wall Street, however, have confidence in the economy. The new growth numbers pushed stock prices higher. The S&P 500 Index, an important stock market measure has reached close to two thousand points in recent weeks. That is not far from its record high of 2011 points.
然而华尔街的投资者对经济很有信心。这一新的增长数字推高了股价。标准普尔500指数这一重要的股市指标最近几周达到近2000点,接近其2011点的历史高位。
David Stockton is an expert with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He says business conditions are improving.
大卫·斯托克顿(David Stockton)是彼得森国际经济研究所的一位专家。他说,企业经营状况正在改善。
"I think it does suggest the U.S. economy is moving forward, it's moving forward at a moderate pace, and the condition of U.S. businesses is such that they're increasing their investment spending," said Stockton.
“我认为它确实表明美国经济正以合理速度向前发展,美国企业现状也是如此,他们正在增加投资支出。”
The Bureau of Economic Analysis or BEA said increased business spending and exports cause the increase in growth. That also could help the job market. The national unemployment rate is currently 6.1 percent. However, wages have remained mostly unchanged although there has been some job growth in the last year.
美国经济分析局(简称BEA)表示,企业支出和出口的扩大会导致经济增长的提高。这也将会有助于就业市场。美国目前的失业率为6.1%。然而,虽然去年就业有所增长,工资却基本保持未变。
Greg McBride believes that is changing.
麦克布莱德相认为这一点正在改变。
"The leading category for job growth here in 2014 is professional and business services, so these tend to be higher paying jobs. The job market actually has a little bit of momentum going for it - that's the good news - and has been far more consistent than what we've seen in terms of economic growth," McBride said.
“2014年就业增长的主要领域是专业和商业服务方面,这些往往都是高薪职位。就业市场由此获得了一些动力,这是个好消息,它远比我们所看到的经济增长更加准确。”