China's real estate market is showing new signs of slowing down. Observers are suggesting an adjustment is needed to the broader economic structure to help stimulate this country's lagging property sector.
中国房地产市场下滑态势再添佐证，观察员建议要对更广泛的经济结构进行调整，以助于刺激滞后的房地产行业。

Of the 70 major Chinese cities observed by the country's National Bureau of Statistics(国家统计局), new homes(新房) in eight cities have seen a month-on-month price decline(环比价格下降) in April, double(两倍) that of March. The average month-on-month price increase for new homes has come in at just 0.1-percent last month, one third(三分之一) of that recorded in March.

Sun Chengping, regional general manager of a Shanghai based real estate company(房地产公司), attributes the downturn to the current macro market environment(宏观市场环境). He said that the effect of existing property purchase restrictions(购房限制), on top of the recent mortgage and loan(抵押和贷款) policy adjustments(政策调整), have all resulted in(导致) the slowdown of property sales."

In an attempt to try to bolster the property market, the People's Bank of China(中国人民银行) is calling on commercial banks(商业银行) to "properly allocate credit resources(贷款基金) and prioritize(优先考虑) credit demand for first-time home buyers(首次购房者)."

重点词汇 Key Words:

房价 fáng jià
House price

下降 xià jiàng
decline/slow down/descend/drop/decrease
eg.飞机正在下降。The plane was descending.
    气温显著下降。
     There was a marked drop in temperature.

两倍 liǎng bèi
twice/double/twifold/doubled
eg. 总产量是去年的两倍。The total output is double that of last year.
     三倍triple   四倍quadruple   十倍ten times
     三分之一one third  三分之二 two-thirds 一半half

限制 xiàn zhì
limit/restriction/set a limit to
eg. n. 时间限制 time limit
     v. 他限制每人只喝一杯茶。 He limited each person to one cup of tea.

优先 yōu xiān
take precedence/have priority/first
eg. 你必须优先处理此事。You must give this matter priority.
     国防问题必须优先考虑。National defense must take precedence over all other questions.
     女士优先。Lady first.