VOA标准英语2009-Obama: Figures 'Somewhat Encouraging', But Still

U.S. President Barack Obama said the half-million jobs the U.S. lost in April are "sobering." But he said it is "somewhat encouraging" that the losses are beginning to shrink. The president used the occasion to promote his education and job training programs.

President Obama said while the United States is still in the midst of a recession, the gears of the country's economy are slowly beginning to turn.

"Step by step, we are beginning to make progress. Of course, that is no solace¹ for those who have lost their jobs, or to the small business owners whose hearts break at letting longtime employees go," he said.
　
Pres. Obama talks about jobs next to small business owner Sharon Arnold (R)at the White House, 08 May 2009

The president spoke² shortly after the government announced that the unemployment rate rose to a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April. Labor³ Department figures show that 539,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, compared to more than 600,000 in March.

Mr. Obama is seeking support for a program he calls the "New Foundation," which he said will help American workers prepare for the economy's eventual⁴ turnaround.

"If we want to come out of this recession stronger than before, we need to make sure that our workforce⁵ is better prepared than ever before," he said.

Part of Mr. Obama's program is a plan to let jobless people return to college without losing their unemployment benefits. States often require people receiving unemployment to be actively⁶ looking for work. Under the president's plan, jobless people could satisfy that requirement by going to school.

The $787 billion economic stimulus⁷ legislation the president signed in February gave states billions of dollars to increase benefits to the unemployed⁸.

Mr. Obama intends to encourage colleges to make more financial aid available to people who are out of work.

1 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 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。

4 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。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

7 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。

8 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。