VOA慢速英语2010年-President Obama Agrees to Extend Tax C

President Obama announced an agreement with Congressional Republicans Monday. It would extend for two years the tax cuts put in place by former president George W. Bush. The tax cuts were to end in January. The compromise extends current income tax rates for all Americans for two years. That includes rates for the richest Americans.

The agreement also cuts workers' Social Security taxes by two percentage points. Social Security is retirement¹ insurance paid by almost all American workers and employers.

The so-called payroll² tax holiday would save a family earning fifty thousand dollars about one thousand dollars a year.

For the president, the most important part of the compromise was the extension of aid payments to unemployed³ Americans for thirteen months. Last month, the jobless rate increased by two-tenths of a percent to nine point eight percent.

Economists⁴ say payments to unemployed people directly help the economy because they spend the money immediately. This has led some experts to call the agreement a stimulus⁵ measure meant to improve the economy.

President Obama said he accepted the compromise because he wanted to help unemployed Americans.

President Obama announcing an agreement to extend tax cuts and unemployment aid

BARACK OBAMA: "Because of this agreement, two million Americans who lost their jobs and are looking for work will be able to pay their rent and put food on their table."

But the president faces strong opposition⁶ from his own party. Democrats⁷ object to keeping tax cuts for the rich at a time when the government is struggling with deep budget deficits⁸.

The extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans is expected to cost about eighty billion dollars over two years. The deal also includes tax cuts aimed at middle income Americans and businesses.

The House of Representatives and Senate will have to approve the proposal. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans support the deal.

MITCH MCCONNELL: "I think the vast majority of the Republican caucus⁹ in the Senate feel that this is a step in the right direction, an important step to take for the American people.”

Before the agreement, Senate Republicans had threatened to block other measures unless the tax cuts for the richest Americans were extended.

Some Democrats were disappointed that President Obama agreed to the compromise. In two thousand eight, he campaigned on the promise that he would continue tax cuts for the middle class. But he proposed to raise income taxes on families reporting two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more in taxable income.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Our programs are online with transcripts¹⁰ and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

3 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。

4 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

9 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

10 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句