US inflation at new 40-year high

Monday, June 13, 2022 - 01:00

Print Edition WorldThe prices of gas, food and most other goods and services jumped in May, raising inflation to a new four-decade high and giving American households no respite from rising costs. Consumer prices surged 8.6% last month from a year earlier, faster than April’s year-over-year increase of 8.3%, the Labor Department said Friday.

5月份，美国汽油、食品和大多数其他商品和服务的价格大幅上涨，通货膨胀率达到40年来的新高，美国家庭无法从不断上涨的生活成本中得到喘息的机会。美国劳工部上周五说，上个月消费者价格指数较上年同期飙升8.6%，高于4月份8.3%的同比增幅。

respite /ˈrespaɪt/  n.  1.~ (from sth) 暂停；暂缓 •She continued to work without respite. 她连续工作，没有休息。•respite care 暂缓性照料。2.短暂的延缓；喘息 •His creditors agreed to give him a temporary respite. 他的债权人同意给他一个喘息的机会。

The new inflation figure, the highest since 1981, will heighten pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates aggressively. On a month-to-month basis, prices jumped 1% from April to May, much faster than the 0.3% increase from March to April. Contributing to that surge were much higher prices for everything from airline tickets to restaurant meals to new and used cars. Those price spikes also elevated so-called “core” inflation, a measure that excludes volatile food and energy prices.

新的通胀数据是1981年以来的最高水平，这将加大美联储继续大举加息的压力。从环比来看，4月至5月房价上涨1%，远高于3月至4月0.3%的涨幅。导致这一飙升的原因是，从机票到餐馆就餐，再到新车和二手车，所有商品的价格都大幅上涨。这些价格飙升也推高了所谓的“核心”通胀，这是一种不包括波动较大的食品和能源价格的指标。

Price spike：价格尖峰

Elevate /ˈelɪveɪt/ v. 提拔，提升；抬起，提起；提高，增加；使情绪高昂，使兴高采烈

exclude /ɪkˈskluːd/  vt.（故意）不包括，把……排除在外；认为……不可能，排除……的可能；阻挡；开除（学生）；防止……的发生

volatile /ˈvɒlətaɪl/ adj. 易变的，动荡不定的，反复无常的；（情绪）易变的，易怒的，突然发作的；（液体或固体）易挥发的，易气化的；（计算机内存）易失的。n. 挥发物；<罕>有翅的动物

In May, core prices jumped a sharp 0.6% for a second straight month. They’re now 6% above where they were a year ago. Friday’s report underscored fears that inflation is spreading well beyond energy and goods whose prices are being driven up by clogged supply chains and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

5月份，关键价格连续第二个月大幅上涨0.6%。目前的价格较一年前上涨了6%。上周五的报告凸显了人们的担忧，即通胀蔓延的范围远不止能源和商品，供应链堵塞和俄罗斯入侵乌克兰推高了这些商品的价格。

clog /klɒɡ/ V. ~ (up) (with sth)~ sth (up) (with sth) （使）阻塞，堵塞 •The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。n. 木底鞋；木鞋；木屐

英文链接：http://www.dailynews.lk/2022/06/13/world/280688/us-inflation-new-40-year-high