VOA慢速英语2015 奥巴马否决Keystone XL输油管道项目

AS IT IS 2015-11-07 Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline¹ Project 奥巴马否决Keystone XL输油管道项目

President Barack Obama has rejected the Keystone XL oil pipeline project.

美国总统奥巴马否决了Keystone XL输油管道项目。

The project involved building a 1,900-kilometer oil pipeline to transport Canadian crude oil to southeastern U.S. states.

该项目计划建设一条长达1900千米的输油管道，将加拿大原油运往美国东南部各州。

Obama made his decision after the U.S. State Department reviewed the proposed project. The review said the project “would not serve the national interest of the United States.

美国国务院重审了该建议项目之后，奥巴马做出了决定。重审报告称，该项目“不符合美国的利益”。

The decision is considered a victory for environmentalists.

该决定被认为是环保主义者的胜利。

The announcement comes ahead of a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris. The conference begins on Nov. 30. There, Obama is expected to urge nations to adopt stronger measures to help reduce global warming.

美国在联合国在巴黎召开气候变化会议之前宣布了该决定。会议将于11月30日开始。届时，奥巴马预期将敦促各国采取更有力的措施，帮助缓解全球变暖。

Obama said building the Keystone XL pipeline would not make a “meaningful, long-term contribution” to America’s economy. He also said it would not lower gas prices for consumers and would not increase U.S. energy security.

奥巴马表示，Keystone XL输油管道不会对美国经济做出“有意义的长期贡献”。 他还表示，该管道不能为消费者降低天然气价格，也不会增加美国的能源保障。

The pipeline would have transported more than 800,000 barrels per day from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. TransCanada was the company behind the plan.

如果该管道得以建成，每天将可以从加拿大阿尔伯塔省的油砂运输超过80万桶原油。TransCanada就是该计划背后的公司。

Many Republican lawmakers supported the construction of the pipeline. They argued it would create jobs, reduce oil prices, and reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil.

许多共和党立法者支持该管道的建设。他们辩称该管道可以创造就业岗位，降低石油价格，减少美国对外国石油的依赖。

Leaders of the Republican-controlled Congress reacted strongly to the announcement.  House Speaker Paul Ryan called the move “sickening” and “just wrong.”

共和党控制的国会领导人们对该决定反应强烈。众议院议长保罗·瑞安称此举是“令人作呕的”，“完全错误的”。

Many Democrats², including presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, applauded the decision.

包括伯纳德·桑德斯在内的许多民主党人支持该决定。

The president said his administration has aimed to reduce America’s dependence³ on foreign oil and increase its use of clean energy. He said those efforts show the world that the U.S. is a global leader on the environment.

奥巴马表示，他的政府旨在减少美国对外国石油的依赖，增加对清洁能源的使用。他表示，这些努力向世界表明，美国在环境方面是全球领袖。

America is “leading by example,” he said, and approving the Keystone XL pipeline “would have undercut this global leadership.”

他说，美国“以身作则”，批准Keystone XL石油管道项目“将削弱美国的领导地位”。

Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supported the pipeline project. He voiced his disappointment in Obama’s decision, but said the Canada-U.S. relationship is “much bigger than any one project.”

新当选的加拿大总理贾斯汀·特鲁多支持该管道项目。他表达了对奥巴马的决定的失望，但是他说，加拿大和美国的关系比任何项目都重要得多。

Words in This Story

environmentalist - n. a person who works to protect the natural world from pollution and other threats

consumer - n. a person who buys goods and services

dependency - n. the quality of relying on something or someone

sickening - adj. causing you to feel sick

undercut - v. to make (something) weaker or less effective

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

2 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》

3 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。