商业报道:美国就业市场惊现好转

A few headlines from the financial world seem to offer a mixed view on how the U.S. economy's doing. First, a new report says U.S. companies cut just over 200,000 jobs in October. Obviously, job cuts: not good news. But this is the seventh month in a row when the number of cuts was lower than the previous month.

However, the number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies¹ went up about nine percent last month. About a third of those were Chapter 13 bankruptcies. That's when the individual is put on a five-year repayment² plan.

And finally, the Federal Reserve, the country's central bank, decided³ not to change a key interest rate which affects things like credit cards and home loans. In the past, the Fed had lowered the rate to try to boost the economy. So, the decision to leave it where it is might indicate things are getting better.

1 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。