昨天句子的解析：

　　The pace of hiring in recent months has been stronger despite a very weak first quarter, when the economy shrank at an annual rate of 2.9 percent. Although the weakness was initially attributed to weather, as well as more technical factors like inventory swings, the depth of the contraction caught some economists off guard, especially those who began the year with a more positive outlook for 2016.

　　词汇突破：1.The pace of hiring 就业速度(情况)

　　2.inventory swings 库存波动

　　3.the depth of the contraction 下滑的程度

　　4.off guard 猝不及防，没有料到

　　5.initially 最初

　　6. shrink 下滑

　　第一句：

　　The pace of hiring in recent months has been stronger/ despite a very weak first quarter, /when the economy shrank at an annual rate of 2.9 percent.

　　（这里的stronger是和weak对应的，所以weak first quarter是指就业疲软的第一季度）

　　翻译点拨：先翻译when: 今年第一季度经济衰退的速度达到了年化2.9%，再翻：（因此）就业情况也很疲软；最后：但是，最近几月就业情况持续好转。

　　参考译文：今年第一季度经济状况以年化2.9%的速度衰退，（因此）就业情况也很疲软。但是，最近几月就业情况持续好转。

　　（有没有get到一点翻译的技能，独立成句！）

　　第二句：

　　Although the weakness was initially attributed to weather, as well as more technical factors like inventory swings, the depth of the contraction caught some economists off guard, especially those who began the year with a more positive outlook for 2016.

　　确定主干：The depth of the contraction caught some economists off guard

　　衰退的程度依然让一些经济学家猝不及防

　　其他成分：状语从句：

　　Although the weakness was initially attributed to weather, as well as more technical factors like inventory swings,

　　同位语：

　　especially those who began the year with a more positive outlook for 2016

　　参考译文：尽管一季度的疲软最初被归咎于天气，以及库存波动等更加技术性的因素，但衰退的程度依然让一些经济学家猝不及防，尤其是那些年初对2016年的前景持较为乐观态度的人。