2006年VOA标准英语-US Senate Resumes Debate on Immigration Re

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
15 May 2006
 
The U.S. Senate Monday resumed debate on immigration reform, as President Bush addresses the nation about the issue. 

 
US Senate Chamber 
  
The Senate bill - unlike the version that passed the House of Representatives - contains a guest worker provision that would offer illegal immigrants in the United States an opportunity to earn legal status and the possibility of eventual¹ citizenship².

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, predicts the Senate will vote on the bill before the Memorial Day recess³ at the end of the month.

 
Bill Frist
  
"It is an important bill," said Bill Frist. "It is an important bill to our national security, it is an important bill to our values, to our economy, and to our safety."

President Bush supports a guest worker program, although many conservatives who make up the base of his Republican Party do not. They say the proposal would reward those who entered the country illegally - an argument supporters reject.

Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, is one who opposes the idea:

"Some say it is not really amnesty," said John Cornyn. "It is earned legalization. Well, whatever it is, it looks very similar, if not its identical twin."

 
Harry⁴ Reid
  
But the Senate's top Democrat⁵, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, says any immigration reform must address the 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States:

"The whole point of what we are doing is to deal with this population that is here under the table, for lack of a better description," said Harry Reid. "They are here. They came here illegally."

Once the Senate acts on its bill, which also calls for efforts to boost border security, congressional negotiators will have to reconcile the measure with the House-passed legislation.

Although many House Republicans are strongly opposed to the Senate guest worker provision, one Senate Republican, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, believes compromise is possible:

"With the good faith which I know will be present by both bodies, I believe we can craft under our bicameral⁶ system a legislative⁷ package in conference which will be acceptable to both the House and the Senate," said Arlen Specter.

Senators resumed debate on the bill after Senate leaders last week reached a compromise on some technical issues that had stalled the legislation for weeks.

1 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

2 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

3 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 bicameral   

adj.两院制的

参考例句：

• The United States Congress is a bicameral body.美国国会由两个议院组成。
• The Upper House is usually the smaller branch of a bicameral legislature.上议院通常是两院制议会中较小的一个。

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。