Paraphrasing　(26st paragraph)

Text

Already stunned by a plunge in profits and losses from storms in the first half of the year, property and casualty insurers now face even worse. “All profits will be wiped out,” warns Michael Paisan, an analyst at Williams Capital Group. Already, first-half profits were down 76 percent, or $7.9 billion, according to the Insurance Services Office, which tracks earnings. Lower stock prices and interest rates, meanwhile, are curtailing the investment income of insurers. But analysts are confident that the industry will be able to meet the estimated $30 billion in projected claims, a loss that could escalate if costly business-interruption and personal injury claims accelerate. “These companies have very liquid investments that can be readily sold,” says Kenneth Zuckerberg, an analyst at the securities firm of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein29. Two helping hands: Uncle Sam, since insurers get a tax deduction for their claim payments, and foreign reinsurance companies, which insure insurers.

The main idea of the paragraph

After meeting the claims resulting from the casualty and property loss as well as from the storms of the first half, the insurance industry may have to face a decline in its profits. However, it can have help from the US government and foreign reinsurance companies.

在对因人身伤害和财产损失以及上半年的暴风雪造成的索赔进行赔付后，保险业可能出现利润的下降，然而，它可以得到美国政府的资助以及外国再保险公司的（部分）赔付。

句子分析

1、First-half profits were down 76 percent, or $7.9 billion.

在此句中，“76 percent, or $7.9 billion”前省略了表示变化幅度的“by”，此句的意思是“上半年的利润下降了百分之七十六，或下降了七十九亿美元”。

2、But analysts are confident that the industry will be able to meet the estimated $30 billion in projected claims, a loss that could escalate if costly business-interruption and personal injury claims accelerate.

在此句中

1）“but analysts are confident”是主句

2）“that the industry will … injury claims accelerate”是个在“be + 形容词”系表结构后的状语从句，其中

　　 （1）“a loss that ．．．claims accelerate”作它前面的名词短语“the estimated $30 billion in projected claims”的同位语，在这个名词短语中，介词短语“in projected claims”作定语，修饰名词短语“$30 billion”
　　（2）“that could escalate if costly business-interruption and personal injury claims accelerate”是个限制性的定语从句，修饰名词“a loss”
　　（3）“if costly business-interruption and personal injury claims accelerate”是个让步状语从句，修饰动词“could escalate”

词语解释

1、to fare well / badly

to be successful, unsuccessful etc　顺利／不顺利 e.g.

1）Low-paid workers will fare well under this government. 在这届政府的领导下，低收入工人的日子过得不错。

2）The party fared badly at the last general election. 在上次大选中，这个党的情况很糟。

2、liquidity 流动性

Availability of funds to meet claims. An economic agent is considered to have high liquidity, or to be highly liquid, if all its financial holdings, or assets, are in cash; and to have low liquidity if its holdings are all in forms, such as property, commodities and long-term securities, that are difficult to convert into exact amounts of ready cash.

3、Uncle Sam

The government of the United States, often personified by a representation of a tall, thin man having a white beard and wearing a blue swallow-tailed coat, red-and-white-striped trousers, and a tall hat with a band of stars.

山姆大叔：指美国政府，常被拟人化为一个瘦高个儿的男人，长着白胡子，穿着蓝色燕尾服，红白条纹的裤子，戴着缀有一条星星的高帽子。