NPR边听边练175：美房价大幅飙升
一、泛听建议：
1、完整听一遍，掌握大意。
2、继续听，特别注意关键信息。遇到相似的词，写下来。
3、复述新闻。
Home prices in the nation's largest cities are up nearly 11% over the past year. That's the largest increase in seven years. But economist Mark Vitner with Wells Fargo says much of the rise _1_ by investors snapping up houses rather than by families buying homes to live in.
去年美国大城市的房价上涨了近11%。这是七年来的最大涨幅。但是富国银行的经济学家马克·维特纳表示，上涨的大部分原因是由于投资者抢购住房，而不是家庭买来居住。
"The home ownership rate _2_ to drop, and actually the number of homeowners has declined by 91,000 over the last year. So we actually have fewer home owners stay even though prices are up."
“住房自有率持续下降，实际上去年房主的数量下降了91,000人。所以实际上虽然房价上升了，但是房主数量却减少了。”
The biggest gains we’ve seen in Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
涨幅最大的城市为凤凰城、旧金山和拉斯维加斯。
Consumer confidence in the US economy has risen to its highest level in more than five years. NPR's John Ydstie says the gains and the Conference Board’s index of consumer attitudes _3_ economists' expectations.
消费者对美国经济的信心创五年来新高。据NPR新闻的约翰·伊斯蒂报道，信心的增长及美国谘商会消费者信心指数超过了经济学家的预期。
A Board spokesperson says that consumers who earlier in the year _4_ about higher taxes and federal spending cuts are now showing more optimism. Rising stock prices and home values along with steady job growth are contributing to that optimism. Job growth has averaged over 200,000 a month in the past half a year. That's 15% stronger than in the preceding six months. Investors hope more confident consumers will continue to push their _5_ higher.
美国谘商会一名发言人表示，年初担心增税和联邦减支计划的消费者现在显得更为乐观。股票价格、房价的上涨以及就业率稳定上升使消费者更加乐观。在过去半年里，就业人口平均每月增加200,000个。这一数据较前六个月增长了15%。投资者希望更有信心的消费者会继续拉动支出的增加。
That would boost economic growth and profits. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.
这会促进经济增长，增加利润。NPR新闻，约翰·伊斯蒂华盛顿报道。
词汇解析：
1. snap up
抢购，赶紧买下(便宜或心仪之物);
eg. Every time we get a new delivery of clothes, people are queuing to snap them up.
每次新到一批服装时，人们都在排起长队来抢购。
eg. One eagle-eyed collector snapped up a pair of Schiaparelli earrings for just ￡6.
一个眼疾手快的收藏家以仅仅 6 英镑的价钱抢到了一副斯基亚帕雷利设计的耳环。
eg. Should that be the case, savvy investors might spot an opportunity to snap up cheap assets.
若果真如此，精明的投资者可能会注意到一个抢购廉价资产的机会。
参考答案：
1、was fueled 2、is continuing 3、exceeded
4、were worried 5、spending
