VOA标准英语2009年-GM Chairman Reportedly Agrees to Resign at

The chairman and chief executive officer of auto¹ giant General Motors reportedly has agreed to a request by the Obama administration to resign. The news reports come as the White House prepares to announce on Monday whether it will extend more aid to troubled U.S. automakers in addition to the billions of dollars in loans they already received. President Barack Obama says the auto industry must engage in deeper restructuring to justify² further government help.

President Obama is expected to announce plans on the restructuring efforts at General Motors and Chrysler in exchange for additional government loans. Both automakers, which are facing bankruptcy³, received more than $17 billion in government aid during the closing days of the Bush administration. And they have requested more than $21 billion in additional help.

A presidential task force has been reviewing the restructuring plans of both companies to determine whether it is realistic for them to continue operating. General Motors and Chrysler face a Tuesday deadline to submit their complete restructuring plans.

In an interview on CBS television's "Face the Nation" program, President Obama said that before more public funds are provided, both companies need to further restructure their businesses.

"They're not quite there yet. There have been some serious efforts to deal with a combination of long-standing problems in the auto industry and the current crisis which has seen the market for new cars drop from 14 million [vehicles in annual sales] to nine million. Everybody's having problems - even [Japanese automaker] Toyota and other very profitable companies," said Mr. Obama. "And so, what we're trying to let them know is that we want to have a successful U.S. auto industry. We think we can have a successful U.S. auto industry. But it's got to be one that's realistically designed to weather this storm and to emerge at the other end much more lean, mean and competitive than it currently is."

Mr. Obama said that means sacrifices from all parties involved - including management, labor⁴, shareholders⁵, creditors⁶, suppliers and dealers⁷ to - in his words, "preserve a brighter future". Government officials say General Motors has failed to reach an agreement on concessions⁸ from bondholders and the United Auto Workers labor union.

Treasury⁹ Secretary Timothy Geithner told ABC television's "This Week" program that the Obama administration is prepared to provide the financial help needed, if it is convinced that carmakers will emerge from restructuring stronger and more competitive.

"It is important to know that we want to have a strong automobile¹⁰ industry. We want it to emerge from this period of challenge stronger," he said. "That's going to require a lot of restructuring. We're prepared, as a government, to help that process if we believe it is going to provide the basis for a stronger [auto] industry in the future. It's very important for our country that we have a strong automobile industry going forward."

The Obama administration's desire for a viable¹¹ U.S. auto industry might include the resignation of one of its major players. According to media reports, the head of General Motors, Rick Wagoner, has agreed to step down at the request of the White House, as part of a restructuring plan. Wagoner has been criticized for his handling of G.M.'s declining fortunes, but he has said he intends to stay on.

The automaker has lost more than $80 billion during the last four years. Its share price has tumbled nearly 90 percent in value during the last year. General Motors says it will lay off nearly 50,000 employees this year and that it plans to close five assembly plants, eliminate thousands of dealerships and reduce the number of its brands from eight to four - all in an effort to stay afloat.

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

3 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

6 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

8 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

11 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。