今天我们要学的词是 sputter.

Sputter is spelled s-p-u-t-t-e-r-, sputter. Sputter 可以用来形容喷溅声、噼啪声，也指放缓、勉强进行。After tax cuts, rising incomes and buoyant stock markets set off a consumer boom in 2018, signs are emerging that the main engine of U.S. economic growth could sputter. 在减税、收入上升和强劲股市带动2018年的消费热潮之后，有迹象显示美国经济增长的驱动力可能会放缓。

The Chinese economy is at a crossroads as real estate and retail sales started to falter, while job jitters mount and China's factories sputter ahead of the Lunar New Year. 中国经济正处于十字路口，房市和零售业出现下滑，工厂在农历新年之前萧条，工作机会不稳定。