二戰以來最嚴重
The US economy officially entered a recession in February, ending the longest expansion on record as the coronavirus pandemic struck the nation, according to the economics research group that acts as the arbiter of America’s business cycles.
研判美國景氣循環的權威經濟研究組織指出，由於新冠肺炎疫情衝擊，美國經濟今年2月正式步入衰退，終結美國有史以來最長的經濟擴張期。
officially(adv.)官方地;正式地on record有記載的;有紀錄的act as充當;擔任arbiter(n.)仲裁者;權威人士
A committee within the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) said in a statement its members “concluded that the unprecedented magnitude of the decline in employment and production, and its broad reach across the entire economy, warrants the designation of this episode as a recession, even if it turns out to be briefer than earlier contractions.”
全國經濟研究局的一個委員會在聲明中表示，委員「得出結論是就業與生產下滑幅度前所未見，以及對整體經濟的影響廣泛，可確定這種情況就是衰退，即使最後結果這次衰退比先前的萎縮時間更短。」
unprecedented(adj.)史無前例的;空前的magnitude(n.)重大;重要性;嚴重的程度warrant(v.)使有必要;使有(正當)理由warranty(n.)產品的保證書designation(n.)指定;指派episode(n.)事件;經歷turn out 結果是
The NBER said the expansion after the 2008 financial crisis lasted 128 months, the longest in the history of US business cycles going back to 1854. Its statement implied that this recession could be shorter than usual, with signs of economic recovery positive, including the surprise job gains last month. If the trend continues, the recession could last only a few months.
NBER表示，2008年金融危機後的經濟擴張持續了128個月，為回溯到1854年以來美國景氣週期中最長的一次。它的聲明暗示，這次衰退可能比以往時間更短，經濟復甦呈現正面跡象，包括上個月就業增加出乎意料。如果這種趨勢持續下去，衰退可能只會持續幾個月。
go back to回溯到imply=hint暗示last(v.)持續;延續
“This is almost certainly the deepest recession” since World War II, Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius wrote in a note. But “it is almost certainly also the shortest recession,” he added.
高盛首席經濟學家Jan Hatzius在報告中寫道，「幾乎可以肯定這是二次大戰以來最嚴重的衰退。」但他補充說，「幾乎可以肯定，這也是最短暫的衰退。」
A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. But the NBER does not use that definition and instead searches for significant declines in economic activity, typically lasting more than a few months, to determine whether or not a downturn has begun.
經濟衰退通常定義為GDP連續兩季負成長，但NBER不用這個定義，而是看經濟活動顯著下降（通常持續幾個月以上）來判斷經濟是否開始衰退。
consecutive(adj.)連續的;連貫的;無間斷的=straightdownturn(n.)衰退;景氣低迷
“The committee weighs the depth of the contraction, its duration, and whether economic activity declined broadly across the economy,” the NBER said.
NBER說：「委員會衡量經濟萎縮的深度、持續時間，以及整體經濟活動是否普遍下滑。」
weigh(v.)秤重、衡量、考慮contraction(n.)收縮;萎縮expansion(n.)擴張;膨脹