Steep declines in most of the second half of 2008 mean that the American index is still more than 20% lower than a year earlier.

2008年下半年就业指数的急剧下跌意味着美国的指数比一年前的要低20%还多。

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So in advance of its quarterly announcement scheduled for Aug. 4, Air Methods wanted to clear the air and prepare analysts and investors for the worst: On July 20, the company warned that second quarter earnings would be about 25% lower than the year-ago profits.

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