VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - What Next for Health Car

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

This week, President Obama led a meeting of Democratic and Republican lawmakers to discuss health reform. Thursday's meeting lasted more than six hours and was broadcast live on television and the Internet.

Some experts think the president could be making his last major push to get a health care bill through Congress. He urged the two sides to look for common ground.

BARACK OBAMA: "I hope that this isn't political theater where we are just playing to the cameras and criticizing each other, but instead we are actually trying to solve the problem."

But it did not take long for the health care meeting to become heated. Republicans said the majority Democrats¹ in Congress had ignored them in writing legislation.

LAMAR ALEXANDER: "Our country's too big, too complicated, too decentralized for Washington, a few of us here, just to write a few rules about remaking seventeen percent of the economy all at once."

President Obama shakes hands with Republican Congressman² Joe Barton of Texas during the talks Thursday at Blair House, across from the White House

Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said cutting health care costs step by step is better than the Democrats' plan.

LAMAR ALEXANDER: "So our view, with all respect, is that this is a car that can't be recalled and fixed³, and that we ought to start over."

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Democrats would not start the legislative⁴ process all over again. She urged the lawmakers at the meeting to remember all of the American families that are struggling to pay for medical care.

NANCY PELOSI: "What we do here must be relevant to their lives. And for them, they don't have time for us to start over."

At the end of the day, even President Obama admitted that differences between the two sides may be too great for compromise.

BARACK OBAMA: "At least we will have better clarified for the American people what the debate is about."

Democratic leaders say they are hopeful that some good will come out of the meeting. But they also made it clear that they are willing to act alone, if necessary, to pass a health care bill.

Democrats in the Senate have lost their sixty-vote supermajority needed to block any effort by Republicans to kill legislation. But the Democrats could try to pass a health care bill using a process called reconciliation⁵. It requires only a simple majority of fifty-one votes.

On Monday, for the first time, President Obama offered his own version of a plan to breathe new life into the legislation in Congress. His proposal calls for insuring thirty million more Americans at a cost of about one trillion dollars over ten years. Republicans have a plan to insure three million more Americans at a cost of sixty billion dollars for the same period.

The Republicans propose taking smaller steps to reform the health care system. Their ideas include permitting Americans to shop for health insurance in other states and expanding health care savings⁶ accounts.

Democrats call the Republicans the party of "no." But on Wednesday, thirteen Republicans supported a jobs bill passed by the Senate. It combines a tax cut for employers and spending for road projects in an effort to reduce unemployment. The fifteen billion dollar bill now goes to the House.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake with Paula Wolfson and Elizabeth Lee. Transcripts⁷, MP3s and podcasts are at voaspecialenglish.com, where you can also comment on our programs. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 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》

2 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 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