这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Concerns about a double-dip recession were back in the news this week. Some economists warned of the possibility of another downturn if governments withdraw growth measures too quickly. But others warned of the dangers of letting deficits and debts continue to grow.
本周，对“双底型”衰退的担忧再次成为新闻焦点。一些经济学家警告说，如果政府过快撤出经济刺激措施，可能将导致新一轮下滑。而另一些人则对赤字和债务继续攀升的危险性提出警告。
Leaders of the world's biggest economies agreed Sunday to cut their deficits by half or more by twenty thirteen. They also promised to try to reduce the size of their government debt in relation to their economy by twenty sixteen.
周日，全球最大的经济体领导人同意在2013年前，削减一半或以上的赤字。他们还承诺设法在2016年前，减少与经济相关的政府债务规模。
Western countries have not faced such high debt levels in sixty years. Leaders like President Obama, however, argue that the recession would have been much worse without the spending.
西方国家在过去60年都没有遇到过如此高的负债。然而，一些领导人，例如奥巴马总统认为，如果削减支出，经济衰退可能会更加恶化。
At the close of the Group of 20 Summit in Toronto, Canada, the president noted moves in Europe to cut government spending.
在G20多伦多峰会的闭幕式上，奥巴马肿总统特别提到欧洲削减政府支出的举动。
BARACK OBAMA: "A number of our European partners are making difficult decisions. But we must recognize that our fiscal health tomorrow will rest in no small measure on our ability to create jobs and growth today."
奥巴马说：“我们的一些欧洲伙伴正在艰难抉择。但我们必须承认，我们明天的财政健康状况将在很大程度上取决于我们今天是否有能力创造就业机会和促进经济增长。”
In the United States, stocks have been falling since April on concerns about the recovery. This week a business research group reported a drop in consumer confidence after three months of gains. The Conference Board said more Americans believed business conditions were bad and that jobs were hard to get.
由于对经济复苏的担忧，自四月以来，美国股票持续下跌。本周，一个商业研究机构报告指出，在连续三个月的增长后，消费者信心指数开始下降。世界大型企业联合会（Conference Board）表示，越来越多的美国人认为商业环境不好，很难找到工作。
New jobless claims rose in the latest government report. Still, employment expert John Challenger says his findings suggest that the nation's employers are not expecting a double-dip recession. He points to a big drop in the number of planned job cuts announced by employers over the past six months.
最新的政府报告显示，新登记申请失业救济人数攀升。然后，就业问题专家约翰·查林杰表示他的调查结果显示，美国雇主预计“双底型”衰退不会发生。他指出，在过去6个月，雇主宣布的计划裁员数量锐减。
Even so, other reports showed big drops in housing sales in May. That followed the end of a homebuyer's tax credit. This week, Congress voted to extend the credit to the end of September -- but only for people who signed a deal by April thirtieth.
即便如此，另一份报告显示，5月份房屋销售大幅下降。这是因为一项针对购房者的税收优惠到期。本周，美国国会投票决定延长税收优惠政策到9月底 - 但只适用于4月30日前签署协议的购房者。
Also this week, the House of Representatives passed a major bill to rewrite financial rules and add consumer protections. The bill provides a way for the government to close failing banks.
同样在本周，美国众议院通过一项重大法案，对金融监管条例进行改革，同时加强对消费者的保护。该法案允许政府关闭破产银行。
President Obama had hoped to sign a final bill by July fourth, Independence Day. But the Senate has delayed action on its version of the financial reform bill until Congress returns July twelfth. Democrats agreed to remove a proposed fee on banks, in hopes of securing passage.
奥巴马总统曾希望在7月4日美国独立日之前份签署最终法案。但参议院推迟了对自身版本的金融改革法案的表决，直到7月12日国会回应。为确保法案通过，民主党同意取消征收银行税的提议。
The vote was delayed in part because of the death of longtime Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia.
投票被推迟的部分原因是西弗吉尼亚州资深民主党参议员罗伯特·伯德(Robert Byrd)的逝世。