VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Promises Gulf Coast Will 'Return

President Barack Obama meets with residents affected¹ by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Gulfport, Mississippi, 14 Jun 2010

Meeting with residents and business owners, and accompanied by state and local officials, the president spent the day visiting oil spill response and coordination³ centers in Mississippi and Alabama.

After a briefing by U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is in charge of the overall government response, the president said he wants people along the Gulf² of Mexico to know that the government, as he put it, is in this for the long haul.

Mr. Obama said he is committed to ensuring that people and businesses in the area are adequately compensated⁴ for damages and losses they are experiencing, adding that problems remain with the process of filing claims with BP.

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, left, makes remarks at the Theodore Staging Area in Theodore, Alabama, 14 June 2010

At a stop in Theodore, Alabama, the president toured a facility repairing booms used in containing oil, and spoke⁵ to workers.  He pledged that the government will help Gulf residents deal with the disaster and its effects.

"I promise you this - things are going to return to normal," he said. "This region that has known a lot of hardship will bounce back just like it has bounce back before.  We are going to do everything we can, 24/7, to make sure that communities get back on their feet."

With large areas of the Gulf closed to fishing and the industry reeling from the impact of the spill, the president announced what he called a comprehensive coordinated⁶ multi-agency initiative to ensure that seafood⁷ from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat.

BP is continuing efforts to increase the amount of oil being captured from its damaged underwater well.  Scientists estimate that between 950,000 and 2.5 million barrels of oil have already spilled.

Transocean Discoverer Enterprise burns off natural gas as it takes on oil from the broken BP wellhead at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico 08 Jun 2010

Referring to last week's upward revision of the amount of oil leaking from the well, with substantially higher numbers than originally estimated by BP,  Admiral Allen said President Obama and government officials want to make sure that BP is applying sufficient resources to deal with the spill.

"What has happened [is] this thing has evolved and as we have been able to refine the flow rate estimates," he said. "And as you know, we revised them upward last week.  We want to make sure that BP has enough capacity on hand to handle the increased flow rate estimates."

Allen said BP has a goal of capturing 28,000 barrels of oil from the leaking well by the end of the week.  But knowing what percentage this is of the total amount leaking from the well will not be possible until a tight seal is on the well.  

In advance of President Obama's meeting this week with BP executives, the government is in discussions with the company on a multi-billion-dollar fund that would pay out on claims filed by individuals and businesses.

Idled shrimp⁸ boats sit in port at Venice, Louisiana (File)

"So far, we have had a constructive⁹ conversation and my hope is that by the time the [BP] chairman and I meet on Wednesday that we have made sufficient progress and we can start actually seeing a structure that would be in place," he said.

The White House says that among the issues the president will discuss with BP officials will be the size of the fund, which would be administered by a third party.

As for President Obama's Tuesday evening address to the nation, White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the president will outline steps taken so far to stop the flow of oil, mitigate¹⁰ the impact of oil that has come ashore¹¹ and efforts to ensure that people affected by the disaster are compensated.
 

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

4 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

5 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。

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

8 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

9 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

10 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

11 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。