英语新闻一起读40

标题：China share slump: Dealers to spend $20bn to halt slide

★slump：做动词可以指（价格、利润）猛跌，做名词则可以直接表示萧条。说到和经济相关的表述，还有哪些词能表示经济状况不好呢？比如bleak/depression/recession/stagnation/ailing slide: v 下跌

China's main share brokerages（证卷公司） have agreed to spend 120 billion yuan ($19.3bn, £12bn) to prop up the ailing stock market.

★prop up：支持，维持〔经济、行业或政府〕:The government introduced measures to prop up the stock market.政府采取措施来扶持股市。

★ailing:修饰人表示有病的，体弱的；修饰政府和企业则表示不景气的，处境困难的The rise in overseas sales is good news for the ailing American economy.海外销售额的上升对于不景气的美国经济来说是个好消息。

The main Shanghai Composite index （上证综指）has fallen 30% since the middle of June, nullifying most of this year's gains.

★提一句体外话，即便你不是经济类考生，关于什么是上证综指，标准普尔指数，纳斯达克指数，道琼斯指数也应该有个基本的了解。这个年代，比的就是综合素质。

The authorities are worried about the possible economic effects and have already tried preventative measures.Twenty-one brokerages agreed the move at a meeting in Beijing on Saturday, Xinhua news agency said.

★preventative measures:预防性措施

The brokerages "will jointly invest 15% of net assets as of the end of June, or no less than 120bn yuan, in blue chip exchange traded funds", the Securities Association of China said in a statement.

★net assets：净资产。net 除了网，在和钱连用时多表示净，比如 net profit净利润。和它相对应的单词是gross，又比如gross interest就是毛利率。

The brokerages have also committed themselves not to sell off holdings while the Shanghai Composite is below 4,500.

The statement also expressed "full confidence" in the development of China's capital markets and urged all brokerages "to view the economic situation and capital market in a correct way and take similar actions to underpin（支持，巩固） the ailing market".

Manipulation 人为操纵

The Chinese stock market bubble over the past year has been fuelled in part by investors borrowing heavily.Now that shares are on a downward path, policy makers are concerned the wider economy could be affected.

The property market has been beset with problems and local authorities are burdened with high levels of debt.The authorities have sought to halt the share slide with an interest rate cut and by injecting more cash into the economy.

★beset sb with / by sth：困扰，威胁 The team was beset by injury all season. 球队整个赛季都因队员受伤而受困扰。

★be burdened with sth.被…所困扰。

Last week, China's securities regulator （证卷监管者）announced an investigation into possible manipulation of the stock market.