2011年商務(wù)英語(yǔ)中級(jí)閱讀材料1

美國(guó)2月份成屋銷(xiāo)售量7個(gè)月來(lái)首次出現(xiàn)增長(zhǎng)，但銷(xiāo)售價(jià)格卻創(chuàng)下至少40年來(lái)的最大跌幅。
　　Sales of previously owned homes in the US rose for the first time in seven months in February, while sale prices fell by their most in at least 40 years.
　　全美房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀(jì)人協(xié)會(huì)(National Association of Realtors)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，經(jīng)季節(jié)因素調(diào)整后，美國(guó)上月成屋銷(xiāo)售量增加2.9%，折合成年率為503萬(wàn)套，但較上年同期減少了23.8%。
　　Figures from the National Association of Realtors showed that existing home sales rose by 2.9 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.03m units last month, still 23.8 per cent lower than a year ago.
　　此前，美國(guó)1月份成屋銷(xiāo)售量折合成年率為489萬(wàn)套，創(chuàng)下自1999年有記錄以來(lái)的最低水平。市場(chǎng)曾預(yù)計(jì)2月份的銷(xiāo)售量將再次小幅下滑，至485萬(wàn)套。
　　The rise comes after sales fell in January to a level of 4.89m – the lowest since records began in 1999. Sales had been expected to fall modestly again this month to a level of 4.85m.
　　經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家們表示，成屋銷(xiāo)售量的增加，對(duì)住宅和金融市場(chǎng)是一個(gè)積極信號(hào)，但并非住宅市場(chǎng)即將好轉(zhuǎn)的明證。
　　Economists said that the rise was a positive indication for housing and the financial markets but that it was not clear evidence that residential real estate was about to improve.
　　雷曼兄弟(Lehman Brothers)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家扎克·潘德?tīng)?Zach Pandl)表示：“銷(xiāo)售量的上升是重要的第一步，但我不會(huì)就此認(rèn)為住宅市場(chǎng)的問(wèn)題都已得到解決。”
　　“The rise in sales is an important first step,” said Zach Pandl, an economist at Lehman Brothers. “But I wouldn’t call it the end of the problems in housing.”
　　美國(guó)2月份成屋銷(xiāo)售價(jià)格下滑8.2%，價(jià)格中值為19.59萬(wàn)美元，創(chuàng)下全美房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀(jì)人協(xié)會(huì)自1968年開(kāi)始記錄房?jī)r(jià)以來(lái)的最大單月跌幅。
　　House prices fell 8.2 per cent – the biggest one-month drop since the NAR began keeping records in 1968 – to a median price of $195,900.