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  3. (1) SYDNEY — Australia posted its slowest quarterly growth in four years, as a fading mining-investment boom and falling export

(1) SYDNEY — Australia posted its slowest quarterly growth in four years, as a fading mining-investment boom and falling export

admin2022-05-02  76
问题     (1) SYDNEY — Australia posted its slowest quarterly growth in four years, as a fading mining-investment boom and falling export revenue continued to put a brake on the economy during the second quarter.
    (2) The resource-rich country’s gross domestic product climbed by 0.2% from the first quarter and rose by 2% from a year earlier, government figures published on Wednesday showed, the weakest quarterly performance since March 2011, when heavy floods along Australia’s east coast caused the economy to shrink by 0.4%.
    (3) The weak quarterly outcome was only half of what economists expected on average, causing the Australian dollar to briefly dip below 70 U.S. cents for the first time in more than six years following the data. The economy expanded by a solid 0.9% in the first quarter of the year.
    (4) A string of disappointing economic data in recent days—including numbers showing that businesses across the board are curbing spending plans and a surprisingly large fall in net export volumes — had already prompted several economists to downgrade their growth estimates, with some even predicting a negative GDP reading and warning a recession may be imminent.
    (5) Following Wednesday’s data, several economists said it was likely that the Australian central bank would cut its benchmark interest rate again this year from a record low 2% to stimulate the economy.
    (6) "Australia’s growth slowdown could bring rate cuts back on the agenda," said Daniel Martin, a senior economist at Capital Economics in Singapore. He said the sharply lower result challenged the central bank’s own growth forecasts of 2.25% in 2015 and 2% to 3% in the year through June 2016. "There is now a serious risk that those forecasts will prove overly optimistic," Mr. Martin said.
    (7) The Australian central bank left rates unchanged at its policy-setting meeting on Tuesday. The bank made little mention of the economic slowdown and market tur-moil in China, Australia’s biggest trade partner.
    (8) However, it could be forced reluctantly into action as the economy continues to struggle to find new sources of growth while a resources boom that has powered Australia for the past decade slows, said Chris Caton, chief economist at BT Financial in Sydney. "Today’s news adds to the pressure for another move," Mr. Caton said.
    (9) Australia has ridden one of the longest economic expansions in modern history — a run of 96 quarters without a recession, which is commonly defined as two straight quarters of economic contraction.
    (10) Morgan Stanley analysts this week warned that the country was at the risk of sliding into recession in coming months, as regulators have begun to cool an overheating housing market by introducing tighter lending standards. The move may damp consumer confidence and construction activity and would be aggravated by the regional spillover from a slowing Chinese economy, they said.
    (11) "Whilst the lower Australian dollar is providing some offset through tourism and education exports, the outlook remains fragile with further job losses in the manufacturing industry still to come," said Chris Nicol, a Melbourne-based macro strategist at Morgan Stanley.
    (12) Mr. Nicol said that unless the federal government provided more public infrastructure stimulus, the central bank will likely cut its benchmark interest rate to 1.5% by June.
What is the Australian central bank likely to do in the near future?
选项 A、Cut the interest rate even lower.
B、Loosen lending standards for personal house owners.
C、Stabilize exchange rates of Australian dollars.
D、Lay off more staff members from the bank branches.
答案A
解析 细节题。文中几次提到澳大利亚中央银行的行为，但是在文末才明确指出如果政府无法刺激更多的基础设施建设，银行将很有可能在六月前降低利率。
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