2006年VOA标准英语-US Lawmakers Urge More Money for Science a

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
25 January 2006

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a package of bills aimed at promoting scientific education and research in the United States. The lawmakers say America needs to focus more money on science and innovation, in order to stay competitive in the world.

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Jeff Bingaman   
  

In the 1950's, the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik spurred greater interest in the United States in promoting science and technology. These days, although the need is similar, according to Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman, there is no concrete event for Americans to rally around.

"This challenge is not as easy to get people mobilized to respond to because this is not a Sputnik that we are faced with here. But it is a series of trends that are going against us, with regards to science and engineering and math education and talent," he said.

Some of these signs include low scores for American students in tests of general knowledge in math and science, compared to students in other countries. Meantime, nations like China and India produce more engineers than the United States.

These worrying trends led Senator Bingaman to co-sponsor a package of three bills to "protect America's competitive edge," better known as the PACE Act.

The legislation would implement¹ 20 recommendations contained in an October report by the National Academy of Sciences. These suggestions range from strengthening U.S. commitment to research and recruiting more science and math teachers to providing economic incentives² for innovation.

The chair of the National Academy of Sciences report, Norman Augustine, described the issue as one of "considerable urgency." "You really have to move to keep up with the pace of technology today. So, we think America is at a crossroads. We can either create jobs and innovate³. Or we can see our jobs evaporate, and it's about that simple," he said.

Meanwhile, another of the act's co-sponsors, Republican Senator Pete Domenici, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, acknowledged that the biggest difficulty may be finding the money to fund the bill's first year price tag of at least $9.5 billion.

"The problem is going to be funding, not support. Support for the ideas will be there. That's not enough," he said.

But co-sponsor Republican Senator Lamar Alexander added that he believes the expenditure⁴ is a necessary investment.

"If we only spend money on war, welfare, social security, debt, hurricanes and disasters and flu, we're not going to have an economy strong enough to pay the bill for those urgent needs. So, it's a small price for a high standard of living," he said.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - U.S.A., a group that has 235,000 members, applauded the PACE Act. The group urged Congress and the White House to act quickly on the legislation, saying the future of U.S. technological⁵ leadership is one of the most important issues facing the United States.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

4 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

5 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。