奥巴马敦促延长失业救济金

 奥巴马敦促延长失业救济金

　　WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- President Barack Obama on Saturday urged lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits for millions of unemployed¹ Americans before Christmas to help low- income families and bolster² job creation.

　　"Right now, more than one million of our fellow Americans are poised³ to lose a vital economic lifeline just a few days after Christmas if Congress doesn't do something about it," Obama said in his weekly address on Saturday.

　　Approximately 1.3 million workers currently receiving extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits are set to lose them on Dec. 28 and about 3.6 million additional people will lose access to UI benefits beyond 26 weeks by the end of 2014, if Congress allows the program to expire, the White House said in a report on Thursday.

　　Unemployed Americans can get 26 weeks of state-paid unemployment benefits, and the length of the benefits has been extended in 2008 after the onset⁴ of the financial crisis with the financial help of the federal government. The federal government- funded extra assistance UI program has been repeatedly extended in past years.

　　"We need to do everything we can to help businesses create more good jobs that pay good wages even faster. Because the hole that we're still digging out of means that there are still millions of Americans looking for work -- often because they've been laid off through no fault of their own," Obama said.

　　He said if Congress refuses to act, it would not just hurt families already struggling, it would actually harm the economy, adding that unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways to boost the economy.

　　"When people have money to spend on basic necessities, that means more customers for our businesses and, ultimately, more jobs, " he noted⁵.

1 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

2 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。