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Waiting for the earth to open 待重头收拾旧山河 HOURS after an earthquake struck Americas east coast on August 23rd, office workers werestill milling around the streets of Washington, DC and New York , nervously waiting foraftershocks. A similar watch over the economy is now under way. The earthquake that rippedthrough the American economy from 2007 to 2009 is still generating tremors. The latest maybe the strongest yet. Since late July stock markets in America and round the world havenosedived, fearful that America is falling back into recession and that Europes debt crisis willdrag down its banks. 在美国东海岸8 月23日的地震之后数个小时，上班族们仍在华盛顿和纽约的街道上游荡着，惴惴不安地等待着下次余震。美国经济也正出现类似的情况。跨经2007年到 2009年的美国经济大地震破坏其经济体系，并不断产生余震。或许，最后的才是最强的。自7月下旬美国股市和全球股市都遭受重创，人们担心美国经济衰退，同时也害怕欧洲的债务危机拖垮银行。 Americas economy is certainly weak. It grew at an annualised rate of just 0.4% in the firstquarter and 1.3% in the second. Future revisions may push both numbers into negativeterritory: the economy would have already double-dipped. 美国经济确实已经很衰弱了。第一季度的经济增长只有0.4%，而第二季度则为1.3%。以后的计算修正或许会让这两个数字变为负值：美国经济已经出现二次探底。 | 
