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1、 考研英语时文天天读考研英语基础复习之通过时文泛读记单词、练翻译每日一篇 l Text 01Japanese GDP figures raise hope of recoveryBy Barney Jopson in Tokyo Published: February 18 2004 2:07 | Last Updated: February 18 2004 19:57The Japanese economy grew in the past quarter at its fastest rate since the 1980s asset bubble began to subside, r
2、aising hopes that the country is on the way to putting more than a decade of stagnation behind it.Japans gross domestic product expanded at an annualised 7 per cent in the three months to December, with fresh data on Wednesday showing the recovery has broader foundations than export growth. The impr
3、essive rate of expansion surpassed US growth of 4 per cent in the same period, and prompted the Bank of Japans deputy governor to say this year could mark a turning point in the battle against deflation, which has dogged the economy since the late 1990s.In the past six months, positive economic figu
4、res have helped build confidence in the possibility of a sustainable recovery. Corporate bankruptcies fell last year for the first time in four years; unemployment is at a two-and-a-half year low; banks are bringing their bad loans under control and consumer prices rose late last year for the first
5、time since 1998, albeit for one-off reasons.GDP is very strong, said Masaaki Kanno, economist at JP Morgan Chase in Tokyo, and reflects the recovery of the global economy and the strength of exports. Sales of digital cameras to the US and industrial equipment to China are booming, but equally import
6、ant is that the effects have begun to filter through to the domestic economy, with companies increasing their capital spending to upgrade production capacity.Wednesdays data showed long-awaited signs of a revival in private consumption, with stable wages, rising bonuses and falling unemployment maki
7、ng consumers more confident. But Mr Kanno said the past quarters rate of expansion was not sustainable, adding that Japans annual trend growth was 3 per cent.Growth for the 2003 calendar year was 2.7 per cent. Kazumasa Iwata, Bank of Japan deputy governor, said that if GDP continued to rise at that
8、pace Japan could begin to conquer deflation this year. It is possible for Japan to overcome deflation if it can post a growth rate of 2-3 per cent for the second consecutive year, he said. Falling prices have hobbled the economy by crimping corporate sales and increasing debt burdens.For the quarter
9、, real GDP grew at a better-than-expected 1.7 per cent, the highest rate since April-June 1990. Nominal growth, which is not adjusted for price changes, rose 0.7 per cent.In real terms exports were up 4.2 per cent while business investment jumped 5.1 per cent. Household spending also grew.But Kiichi
10、 Murashima, economist at Nikko Citigroup, warned of factors that could slow the economy. Export momentum had probably peaked in the past quarter, he said, and planned increases in social security contributions could again deter consumer spending. In addition, yen appreciation plus high commodity pri
11、ces are starting to affect corporate profits and industrial production.The strengthening of the yen against the dollar has threatened Japanese exporters, prompting the government to spend 27,000bn ($253bn) on currency intervention since the start of last year.日本GDP增速创1990年以来新高巴尼乔普森(Barney Jopson)东京报
12、道 2004年2月19日 星期四 出版 按年率计算，日本去年第四季度的经济增长达到7%，超过了市场预期，创下1990年以来最快的经济增长率。周三早上发布的日本国内生产总值数据超过了美国同期4%的增速，表明日本的周期性经济复苏明显加速。第四季度日本经济增长1.7%，出口和企业投资继续扮演增长主要动力的角色。“这一数据非常强劲，反映出全球经济的复苏和出口的活力，”摩根大通(JP Morgan Chase)驻东京经济学家菅野雅明(Masaaki Kanno)说。海外出货量上涨4.2%，这要归功于美国对日本电子产品和汽车、中国对日本机械、元件和钢铁的强大需求。企业投资指标攀高5.1%，原因在于出口强势
13、提振了企业信心，并鼓励公司升级和扩大产能。家庭支出指标增长0.8%，但对经济增长贡献仍很有限。鉴于失业率处于两年半来的最低水平，薪资水平现已稳定。经济学家曾预计说，消费者支出将给经济发展增添额外支持，从而提高经济复苏持续的机率。分析师表示，好于预期的GDP数字可能会给日元带来新的压力，令日元进一步走强。日元走强已威胁到日本的出口增长，促使日本当局在外汇市场大规模干预，以控制其上升势头。GDP数据公布后约1小时左右，日元开始走软，对美元汇率从105.5降至105.7，引发交易员对日本政府进一步实施干预的猜测。日本政府预计，截至3月份的一年，经济增长将为2%，现在看来，这一预测目标将能够实现。即使
14、当前季度经济缩水3.4%，这一目标也能够实现。当然，季度经济缩水3.4%的情况极不可能发生。译者/李功文 l Unit2Microchip Your PetAnyone who has ever owned a pet knows how quickly it can become a cherished member of the family. And anyone who has ever lost a pet knows the pain of heartbreak.According to the National Council on Pet Population Study an
15、d Policy, only about 16 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats find their way back from shelters to their original owners. While traditional pet identification methods are still recommended, they have limitations. Tags can fade, rust, or get scratched, making them impossible to read. Collars can come
16、 off or, even worse, get caught on something while your pet is wandering about, causing him physical harm. Fortunately, there is a relatively new technology available that may give pets a better chance of being reunited with their owners. It is called the microchip identification system, or microchipping.Ho
