VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Takes Responsibility for Fixing Economy

President Barack Obama says he will be held accountable for turning around the nation's ailing¹ economy, and making sure that federal funds used to rescue financial institutions and spur growth are well spent.
　
President Barack Obama talks to reporters in the Oval Office, 02 Feb 2009

Less than two weeks in office, President Obama inherited a deepening recession that began more than a year ago. But if blame for the current economic pain and dislocation cannot be pinned on him, the president says he is fully² aware that responsibility for reviving the economy falls on his shoulders.

Mr. Obama spoke³ in a pre-recorded interview that aired on the NBC television network.

"I will be held accountable. I have got four years [first term in office]," the president said. "I think a year from now people are going to see that we are starting to make some progress, but there is still going to be some pain out there. If I do not have this [economic recovery] done in three years, then there is going to be a one-term proposition [will not be re-elected]."

The president is pushing an $800 billion package of tax cuts and new government spending to stimulate⁵ an economy that contracted at a 3.8 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2008. The bill is before the U.S. Senate, after being approved by the House of Representatives on a party-line vote last week.

Republicans blast stimulus⁶ package

Republicans have blasted the measure, saying it is laden⁷ with wasteful⁸ spending that will increase the deficit⁹ without spurring growth. Democrats¹⁰ say the bill will boost the economy immediately and make investments in energy and infrastructure¹¹ that will promote long-term economic expansion.

Mr. Obama says U.S. banks and other financial institutions continue to be at risk of failure, despite receiving hundreds of billions of dollars in federal bailout money in recent months. The president says additional funds will be required to prop⁴ up those institutions, as well as regulations to ensure the money is not wasted and there is no repeat of the debacle.

"It is my job as president, and Congress' job, to make sure that there are some rules of the road that people are going to abide¹² by, and that we have got transparency and accountability," the president said.

'It will take time' to correct situation

Mr. Obama added that it will take time to correct the situation, which began more than a year ago with a rash of home-mortgage defaults and foreclosures, prompting a credit squeeze that spread around the globe.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reports Americans continue to cut back on purchases. U.S. consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of the nation's economic activity, fell for a sixth consecutive¹³ month in December. While the nation's collective savings¹⁴ rate rose, incomes dipped. Analysts¹⁵ say falling consumer spending is an indication that Americans are increasingly worried about their economic security.

U.S. unemployment has surged more than two percentage points during the past year. A private economic research firm (the Conference Board) is reporting that job vacancies¹⁶ advertised on the Internet have fallen by more than 20 percent in the past two months.

1 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

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 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

5 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

6 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

7 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

8 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

10 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》

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

13 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

14 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。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》