正文文本:

There are some businesses that are staying very busy during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Companies that make cleaning products like phone and hand sanitizers, medical equipment and supply organizations, toilet paper manufacturers and food delivery apps and their employees. But scores of businesses are seeing major losses as the disease spreads. Malls are closed, factories are shut down, flights have been canceled.

People in affected countries have been told to stay home. Without consumers out and about spending money and without businesses making products and hiring people, the economy has effectively ground to a halt. The United States Federal Reserve, the central bank of the country, says the coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous hardship.

So in addition to dropping interest rates to zero, which encourages people and companies to take loans, the Fed is buying bonds, opening new credit facilities, starting a new lending program. In a nutshell, it's using all of its tools to try to limit the economic damage from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has been debating a massive stimulus bill — a package of government spending that's intended to stimulate the economy. It could include loans to companies that are in trouble, more spending on healthcare and direct payments to American taxpayers.

Its cost could be as high as $2 trillion. And Congressional Republicans and Democrats generally agree that the stimulus is needed. But they've had some disagreements over what exactly the money should be spent on and how it should be given out and that's delayed the bill from passing.

参考译文:

在这场持续不断的冠状病毒疫情期间，有些企业正忙得不可开交。

比如生产手机消毒剂和洗手液等清洁产品的公司、医疗设备和供应机构、卫生纸制造商和食品配送应用程序及其员工。但随着疫情的蔓延，数十家企业正在遭受重大损失。商场停业，工厂关闭，航班取消。

受疫情影响国家的民众被要求呆在家里。如果没有消费者外出消费，没有企业生产产品和雇佣员工，那经济实际上就已经陷入了停滞。美国中央银行美联储表示，冠状病毒大流行正在造成巨大的困难。

因此，除了将利率降至零以鼓励民众和企业贷款之外，美联储还购买债券、开放新的信用服务并启动新的贷款计划。简而言之，美联储正在动用所有工具来限制新冠肺炎造成的经济损失。

与此同时，美国国会一直在讨论一项大规模刺激法案，即旨在刺激经济的政府支出计划。该计划可能包括向陷入困境的企业提供贷款、增加医疗支出以及为美国纳税人提供直接补贴。

计划成本可能高达2万亿美元。国会共和党人和民主党人普遍认为，刺激计划是必要的。但他们在资金的具体用途以及分配方式上存在分歧，这延误了法案的通过。

重点讲解：

1. out and about 四处走动，外出活动；

I should be out and about again by next week.

下星期我该可以重新外出走动走动了。

2. grind to a halt （使）（生长、发展、活动等）完全停止；

The peace process has ground to a halt while Israel struggles to form a new government.

当以色列竭力组建新政府的时候，和平进程已经陷于停顿。

3. in a nutshell 概括地说；简言之；

In a nutshell, the owners thought they knew best.

简而言之，业主们认为自己最了解情况。

4. in trouble 处于困境；

The economy was in trouble.

经济处于困境中。