VOA慢速英语 2008 0202

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

(SOUND)

 
President Bush giving his speech before a joint¹ session of Congress. Vice² President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sit behind him.
This week, George W. Bush gave his seventh and final State of the Union message to Congress and the American people. The president spoke³ at length about some of the issues that his presidency⁴ is likely to be remembered for.

He talked about the war in Iraq, and his decision to send thirty thousand more troops there last year.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Some may deny the surge is working, but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al-Qaida is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated."

President Bush spent almost half the nearly one-hour speech talking about foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. He talked about his hopes for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. And he directed comments to the leaders of Iran.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Come clean about your nuclear intentions and past actions, stop your oppression at home, and cease your support for terror abroad. But above all, know this: America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf⁵."

The president also talked about the American economy and widespread concern about the nation's economic future.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth. But in the short run, we can all see that growth is slowing."

He noted⁶ in his speech on Monday that "America has added jobs for a record fifty-two straight months." But that record has now ended. On Friday the Labor⁷ Department reported that the economy lost seventeen thousand jobs in January.

Reacting to the report, Mister Bush said the economy is still basically strong but going through a rough time right now. He called on the Senate to quickly pass a growth plan approved earlier this week by the House. Senate Democrats⁸, though, want to add other measures to the plan. 

In his final State of the Union address, President Bush offered few new proposals for his eleven months left in office. The Constitution limits presidents to two terms. And for the past year, the Republican president has faced a Congress led by Democrats. Both have low public approval ratings.

One new proposal in his speech was to spend three hundred million dollars providing education money to families of poor children. He also urged lawmakers to renew his education law, known as No Child Left Behind. And he talked again about his desire for immigration reform and changes in the Social Security program.

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius gave the Democratic response to the speech.

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS: "Tonight’s address begins the final year of this presidency, with new leaders on the horizon and uncertainty⁹ throughout our land. Conditions we face, at home and abroad, are results of choices made and challenges unmet."

This coming Tuesday, almost half the states will hold elections to help choose the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees¹⁰. On Monday the program THIS IS AMERICA will look at the campaign, the candidates and the process for choosing a president.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. Transcripts¹¹ and MP3s of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

 

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 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。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 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。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 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。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

11 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句