【答案解析】根据财政部昨天公布的统计数字，上一季度的失业率下降了约0.5个百分点，经济学家认为这是经济复苏的强烈信号。 [解析]
According to the statistics issued by the Finance Ministry yesterday, the unemployment rate of last quarter decreased by almost 0.5%, and economists believe that it is a strong signal of economic recovery.

【答案解析】卫生部官员希望能在大规模禽流感出现时就能立即消灭该病毒。1918年爆发的一次由禽流感引发的流行病夺走了5000万人的生命。但现在的医疗卫生条件有了很大改善，我们完全可以更加乐观。 [解析]
Public health officials hope to extinguish a pandemic bird flu almost as soon as it appears. In 1918, a pandemic that started from a bird flu virus killed as many as 50 million people. But with much better healthcare available, we have every reason to be more optimistic.

【答案解析】全国多数人参与了就本国是否应禁止销售枪支而举行的全民公决，公决结果显示，虽然近年来暴力事件上升，人们依然不愿全面禁止枪支销售。 [解析]
The majority of people participated in the referendum over whether the sale of guns should be stopped in this country, and the result shows that despite the increasing number of violent activities in recent years, the public remained reluctant to totally ban the sale of guns.

【答案解析】中国第二次载人太空飞行获得成功，宇宙飞船着陆于内蒙古广漠的草原上，数小时后，中国宜布将在不久的将来招募女太空员。成功返回的航天员受到了英雄般的欢迎。 [解析]
Just hours after the country"s second manned space mission touched down in the remote grasslands of inner Mongolia, China announced that it would recruit female astronauts in the near future. The returning astronauts have been given a hero"s welcome.

【答案解析】政府将通过改革就业培训体系，加强大专院校建设等手段，为另20万工人提供就业培训。我们还将增加奖学金的规模，更好地帮助学生接受大学教育。 [解析]
The government will help another 200,000 workers to get training for a better career by reforming our job training system and strengthening our universities and colleges. And we will make it easier for students to afford a college education by increasing the size of scholarships.