双语新闻【447】美国首次申请失业救济人数再次下降

New US Unemployment Claims Fall Again

美国首次申请失业救济人数再次下降

The number of Americans filing for new unemployment benefits fell again last week, continuing a trend that shows a slowly improving labor market in the United States. A separate government report showed a steep rise in prices for food and fuel contributing to the biggest gain in the Consumer Price Index since June 2009.

上个星期首次申请失业救济的美国人数再次下降，继续显示美国劳工市场在缓慢改善的趋势。另外一份政府报告显示，食品和燃油价格急剧上涨, 导致消费者价格指数出现自从2009年6月以来的最大增幅。

The jobless claims report from the U.S. Labor Department Thursday said the number of applications for unemployment insurance fell for the third time in four weeks - to a seasonally adjusted figure of 385,000. The four-week average of new unemployment claims was the lowest since July 2008, which was early in the recent economic crisis.

美国劳工部星期四公布的失业报告说，首次申请失业救济的人数四个星期来第三次出现下跌，下降到经过季节调整后的38万5千人。首次申请失业补助的4个星期平均数是2008年7月经济危机初期以来的最低水平。

The U.S. central bank said earlier in the week that the job market was improving and the economy was on a "firmer footing," although the recovery was continuing slowly.

美国中央银行这个星期早些时候说，美国的就业市场正在改善而且经济也在一个“更为稳固的基础上”，尽管恢复的速度仍然缓慢。