VOA标准英语2011--Occupy Protests Work Outside Political Process

Occupy Protests Work Outside Political Process

The Occupy movement, which started in New York, has grown to more than 1,400 encampments around the country. Occupy has chosen to work outside the political process, shying away from appointing leaders and setting agendas. Some protesters, and political observers, argue they must become a more formal movement to bring change. But they are starting to shift the political tone in the country by unconventional means.

Two thousand nurses join with Occupy D.C. for a rally near the White House. They want a tax on stock trades to curb¹ Wall Street speculation² and raise revenue for infrastructure³ jobs and human needs. Since President Obama is opposed to the idea, the demonstrators mock his treasury⁴ secretary, Timothy Geithner.

"I am Timmy Geithner with the one percent," said one protester.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader says so far, the movement has had little effect on political leaders. "Congress is going about its corporate⁵ business as if nothing is happening out there. But, pretty soon they are going to start surrounding each congressional office back home with the Occupy people. And then maybe they will start to get the message," he said.

The Occupy protesters vow⁶ to work outside the traditional political process, which they see as incapable⁷ of bringing real change. They prefer to take their message directly to the people. Karen Conner with the Economic Policy Institute says they are beginning to change the political tone in the country. "The fact that the major newspapers are picking up on the message, or the messages if you will, and writing about them in their editorial pages and on their front pages is very promising," she said.

Some political analysts⁸ believe the Occupy message is starting to replace the dominant⁹ Tea Party message of the past two years, that big government has bankrupted the country.

John Cavanagh, director of the Institute for Policy Studies, said "The bigger story is we have a country that is broken, that isn’t working for the majority of the people, that is grotesquely¹⁰ unequal. And when you change a story like that, it has all kinds of ripple¹¹ effects through society."

Cavanagh points to a recent decision by a major bank to charge customers a monthly debit¹² card fee. After a backlash from angry consumers, the bank dropped the plan. "The protests came up and the banks acted or reacted," he said. "I think in the banking¹³ world there is a lot of discussion right now of what do we need to get these people to go away?"

The protesters vow to stay put. Michael Berkson is from New York. "The vast majority of this country is hurting and that is who should be helped. Wall Street can afford it. A financial tax will not only help the vast majority, and pay for infrastructure spending, but it will curb their greed," he said.

Protestors say they plan to occupy the campaign offices of Republican presidential candidates. There are also big plans for the spring. Their goal is to force politicians to act by exerting pressure from outside the political system.

1 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 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。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

7 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

10 grotesquely   

adv. 奇异地,荒诞地

参考例句：

• Her arched eyebrows and grotesquely powdered face were at once seductive and grimly overbearing. 眉棱棱着，在一脸的怪粉上显出妖媚而霸道。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Two faces grotesquely disfigured in nylon stocking masks looked through the window. 2张戴尼龙长袜面罩的怪脸望着窗外。

11 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

12 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

13 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。