2007年VOA标准英语-US President's State of the Union Address Is St

By Charlene Sarmiento and Jim Bertel
Washington, DC
22 January 2007
 
watch State of Union report

President Bush delivering his State of the Union Address in 2006

President Bush will deliver his State of the Union Address on Tuesday before both houses of Congress, members of the Supreme¹ Court, his Cabinet, other senior government officials and the American people.  Jim Bertel looks at the history and significance of this political custom, which goes back to the founding of the American republic. 

President Bush's address to both houses of Congress continues a long-standing tradition of communication between the executive and legislative² branches of the United States government. 

Under the U.S. Constitution, an American president must report to Congress on the state of the nation, his policy plans and on any other issues he considers necessary and expedient³.  The Constitution gives no further guidance, but the presidential message, now commonly called the State of the Union Address, has become an annual political ritual.

The tradition began with the first president, George Washington, who delivered his yearly messages in person.  Delivery in person fell out of favor, though, under third president Thomas Jefferson.  American University professor Allan Lichtman explains that Mr. Jefferson felt appearing before Congress made a president seem too much like royalty⁴. 

"So Jefferson, in 1801, decided⁵ he would not appear personally before Congress, but rather he would deliver a written annual message.  And, lo and behold⁶, we changed the precedent⁷.  Since Jefferson, presidents kept delivering annual messages, but in writing rather than in person, until another great political leader came on the scene -- Woodrow Wilson."

President Wilson went before Congress in 1913 to deliver his proposal for economic regulation.  The next president to appear in person was Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose annual speech was the first to be broadcast on radio: "Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives..."

Stephen Wayne is an expert on the presidency⁸ at Georgetown University in Washington.  "The State of the Union address has become the way in which the president sets the agenda for Congress and speaks to the American people about his accomplishments⁹ and hopes for the future,” says Wayne.  “It's part of our political tradition.  There is a lot of ceremony attached to it, and that usually works to the benefit of the president."

Abraham Lincoln, in fact, used the annual message in 1862 to launch his first attack on slavery, saying that without slavery there would have been no U.S. Civil War.  Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his "economic bill of rights" in one of his addresses.  Harry¹⁰ Truman went before Congress to outline the program he called "the Fair Deal."  And Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s proposed new civil-rights laws and efforts to eradicate¹¹ poverty: "And this administration, today, here and now, declares unconditional¹² war on poverty in America."

This year, President Bush will try to reinvigorate his second-term agenda following a difficult 2006, in which voters swept out Republican office-holders and put opposition¹³ Democrats¹⁴ in control of both houses of Congress.  Experts from both parties say November's elections amounted to a referendum on Mr. Bush's Iraq policies.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 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。

3 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

4 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

7 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

8 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。

9 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

11 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

12 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 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》