Online Class Notes (Raph)[R]

Vocabulary

Jet lag (n): 1- the feeling of tiredness and confusion that people experience after making a long journey by plane to a place where the time is different from the place they left.
E.g.: Every time I fly to the States, I get really bad jet lag.
E.g.: I am feeling very jet-lagged.

Gauge (v/n): 1- to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device. a way of measuring, judging or showing something.
E.g.: Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature.
E.g.: I tried to gauge (= guess) the weight of the box.
E.g.: The fact that the play is being performed on Broadway is a gauge of its success.

Staple (n/adj): 1- a main product or part of something.
E.g.: Shortages mean that even staples (= basic foods) like bread are difficult to find.
E.g.: This product has been a staple of this area for many years.

Uptick (n): 1- an increase in something.
E.g.: We can see some uptick in activity in the marketplace.
E.g.: Even after yesterday’s uptick, the shares remain more than 40% below their peak a year ago.

Render (v): 1- to cause someone or something to be in a particular state.
E.g.: His attitude rendered me speechless.
E.g.: New technology has rendered my old computer useless.

Pledge (v): 1- to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something.
E.g.: We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign.
E.g.: So far, £50,000 has been pledged (= people have promised to pay this amount) to the fundraiser.
E.g.: Both sides have pledged to end the fighting.

Spur (v): 1- to encourage an activity or development or make it happen faster:
E.g.: Rising consumer sales have the effect of spurring the economy to faster growth.
E.g.: Spurred (on) by her early success, she went on to write four more novels in rapid succession.

Dent (n): 1- to make a small hollow mark in the surface of something. 2- to make something smaller or less strong.
E.g.: I dropped a hammer on the floor, and it dented the floorboard.
E.g.: His confidence was badly dented when he didn’t get the job.

Swine fever (n): 1- 猪瘟

Hog (n): 猪

Statistics (n): 1- 统计

China’s inflation stays within annual target
(Source: www.shine.cn/biz/economy/1910153725)

China’s consumer prices in September remained within the annual target of around 3 percent, with more stabilizing macroeconomic measures to take effect in the near future.

The country’s consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, rose 3 percent year on year in September, up from 2.8 percent in August and representing the highest growth this year, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.

The average growth rate in the first nine months of this year came in at 2.5 percent, well within the around 3-percent range set by the government.

Food prices grew 11.2 percent year on year last month, up from 10 percent in August while non-food prices gained 1 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than that of August.

Due to a shortage of supply, prices of the staple meat pork were one of the main drivers of the CPI uptick, while the growth rate narrowed on a month-on-month basis to 19.7 percent in September, said NBS senior statistician Shen Yun.

Although pork may continue to drive up food prices and the CPI in the fourth quarter, stabilizing measures issued by the government will eventually render supply-demand balance in the market, according to Lian Ping, chief economist at the Bank of Communications.

China has repeatedly pledged to spur hog production and stabilize pork supply. A total of 30,000 tons of pork was released from the national stockpile last month after an outbreak of African swine fever dented the staple meat’s market supply.

Pronunciation

Skewer: /ˈskjuː.ɚ/ /s.cue.ur/

Predictably:  /prɪˈdɪk·tə·bli//puri-dicta-blee/  

Predictable: /prɪˈdɪk.tə.bəl/