阅读导语：
与去年第四季度经济出现大幅收缩、所有经济数据都呈现下降指标不同，美国今年第一季度的经济数据可谓喜忧参半。经济学家的解读或谨慎或乐观，媒体则将第一季度的经济形势形象地比喻为春天的天气，乍暖还寒。美国金融业的表现最为引人注目。富国银行、摩根大通、高盛、花旗等大型银行相继宣布第一季度扭亏为盈。美国2月份出口出现7个月来首次增长。这些利好消息推动美国股市持续上涨。在这些正面消息推动下，美国消费者情绪指数显著回升，从3月份的57.3回升到4月份的61.9，达到去年9月以来的最高点。
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans claiming jobless aid hit a record in early April and groundbreaking① for new homes slumped②last month, but a top Federal Reserve official voiced hope the recession was ending.
"Today, the economy is still very weak, but there are some encouraging signs that support cautious optimism," Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said in a speech in New York on Thursday.
Wall Street stocks, taking heart from expectations of reassuring results from corporate bellwethers as economic conditions start to turn the corner, closed higher, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising 1.2 percent to 8,125.
New claims for jobless aid dropped unexpectedly last week in a potentially brighter sign for employment -- although the timing of the Easter and Passover holidays might have skewed③the data -- while a steep decline in new housing starts may help work off a heavy overhang of unsold homes.
There have also been other promising signs the severity of the recession may be fading. Nokia said on Thursday that mobile telephone destocking④, as shops run down inventories before putting in new orders, had bottomed in some markets.
In addition, U.S. officials have clearly begun to talk up the recovery. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke noted tentative signs of stability this week and Lockhart repeated this theme.
GREEN SHOOTS
"I do not expect a strong recovery, but I do expect the economic contraction we're now experiencing to give way to slow and tentative growth as early as the third quarter," Lockhart told the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College.
But the tone of the key data was still pretty bleak, emphasized by news that General Growth Properties Inc, the second-largest U.S. shopping mall owner, had filed for bankruptcy in the largest real estate failure in U.S. history.
"Taken together, both (housing and jobs) releases will put a damper⑤ on the nascent⑥optimism we've seen in the markets in the past couple of weeks," said Matthew Strauss, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
"While the situation in housing and in the labor markets is not necessarily deteriorating, it's clear that there is no real sign of recovery whatsoever," he said.
The U.S. Commerce Department said housing starts fell 10.8 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 510,000 units, the second lowest on records dating back to 1959, from February's 572,000 units. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected an annual rate of 540,000 units for March.
Separately, the Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell 53,000 last week to 610,000. But so-called continued claims rose to a record 6.02 million in the week to April 4.
The most severe U.S. recession in a generation has already cost five million jobs, driving the unemployment rate up to 8.5 percent in March, and many economists see it heading higher.
"The four-week moving average for initial claims usually peaks about two months before the trough⑦of a business cycle, which means the recession could end as early as June," Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners, LLC wrote in a note.
"That would still give us a 19-month downturn, the longest in post-World War Two history," he said.
The Federal Reserve, in a regular survey of business conditions, said on Wednesday the labor market remained soft with lay-offs and hiring freezes widespread. But five of its 12 regional banks saw the pace of decline in the economy slowing.
The Fed -- the U.S. central bank -- also said there were signs the housing market was stabilizing, with an increase in the number of prospective buyers improving confidence.
House hunters are being lured by very low mortgage rates following hefty⑧efforts by the Fed to drive down home loan costs. It has cut key interest rates to almost zero and pumped over $1 trillion into credit markets, including massive buying of mortgage⑨-backed securities, to encourage spending and investment.
词汇学习：
1. groundbreaking a.开创性的
This is a groundbreaking technology.
这是一项开创性的技术。
2. slump n.跌落，暴跌
The slump on Wall Street set up a chain reaction in stock markets around the world.
华尔街金融滑坡引起世界股票市场的连锁反应。
3. destocking n.储量缩减
The destocking drives the sales price down.
储量缩减促使了价格下降。
4. bankruptcy n. 破产
The bankruptcy of several small firms was the prelude to general economic collapse.
几家小商行倒闭了, 随之而来的是经济大萧条.
5. damper n. 扫兴，阻止，阻滞
Mary's absence cast a damper over the party.
玛丽缺席使晚会为之扫兴。
6. nascent adj. 发生中的,开始存在的,初期的
Our manager discovered a nascent talent.
我们经理发现了一个新人才。
7. deteriorate v.恶化，下降
Relation between the two countries have deteriorate sharply in recent week.
最近几周那两个国家间的关系严重恶化。
8. hefty adj. 重的,丰富的,高的
He received a hefty bonus.
他收到一份丰厚的奖金。
9. mortgage n.&v. 抵押
We're paying out 300 a month on our mortgage.
我们每月要付300英镑抵押贷款.
实用表达：
1. The number of Americans claiming jobless aid hit a record in early April and groundbreaking for new homes slumped last month, but a top Federal Reserve official voiced hope the recession was ending. 四月初，美国领失业救济金的人数达到了破记录的水平，上个月新房滞销也是开创性的，但是联邦储备基金官员却表示危机有结束的希望。
讲解： jobless aid 意思是失业救济金，失业救济hit a record意思是创纪录，Federal Reserve意思是联邦储备基金。
2. Wall Street stocks, taking heart from expectations of reassuring results from corporate bellwethers as economic conditions start to turn the corner, closed higher, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising 1.2 percent to 8,125.各领头羊企业良好的业绩报告，经济形势的好转都使华尔街股市开始复苏，道琼斯指数上了1.2个百分点，达到了8125。
讲解： take heart from 意思是收到鼓舞，鼓起勇气，bellwether 本意是羊群中的头羊，后来引申为领头羊公司或集团；the Dow Jones industrial average 意思是道琼斯工业指数，rise…to意识是上升到…。
3. But five of its 12 regional banks saw the pace of decline in the economy slowing.但是12个当地银行中有五个都见证了经济衰退的速度在下降。
讲解： see这里等同于witness,意思是见证，证明。pace意思是节奏，速度，pace of decline意思是衰退的速度。
4. Nokia said on Thursday that mobile telephone destocking④, as shops run down inventories before putting in new orders, had bottomed in some markets. 周四诺基亚表示，由商店新品减少，在接新订单之前，店铺经营库存在某些市场已触底。
讲解：destocking 意思是库存降低。run down意思是停止，耗尽。Put in new order意思是接新订单。bottom 作动词讲意思是触底，经常用于财经新闻中，表示触底，跌倒最低点。
5. The U.S. Commerce Department said housing starts fell 10.8 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 510,000 units, the second lowest on records dating back to 1959, from February's 572,000 units. 美国商务部表示房产市场销售在三月份降低了10.8个百分点，跌至1959年以来的第二个最低点 ，经季节性调整后销售的套数由二月份的572,000 套降至510，000套，是1959年以来的第二低记录。
讲解：fall…to意思是降至了……到……, the second lowest on records表示记录中第二个最低值，date back to意思是追溯到……。
6. It has cut key interest rates to almost zero and pumped over $1 trillion into credit markets, including massive buying of mortgage⑨-backed securities, to encourage spending and investment. 关键利息率降至零点，并投入了1万亿美元支持信贷市场，包括大规模的购买按揭证券，以鼓励消费和投资。
讲解：cult key interest rate 表示降低关键利息率， cut 在这里表示削减，减少，降低。Interest rate 表示利息率。 Pump into 表示投入，注入的意思。mortgage-backed securities 这里是按揭证券或股票的意思。
