VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Calls on Senate to 'Rise to the Moment' o

President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to act swiftly to pass his massive economic recovery package, warning that every day of delay means more Americans lose their jobs, their savings¹ and their homes. On the floor of U.S. Senate Thursday, Democrats² and Republicans held emotional pleas for and against the now $900 billion stimulus³ bill, with Democratic leaders saying they hope to have the votes to pass the measure by Friday.
　
President Barack Obama, 05 Feb 2009

President Obama fought back on Thursday against criticism of his economic recovery package by Republican lawmakers. In a passionate⁴ opinion article published in The Washington Post newspaper, Mr. Obama accused his critics of ignoring the depth of the economic crisis and of promoting "failed theories" that tax cuts alone will solve America's economic problems.

The president repeated that same message in remarks at the Energy Department, calling on Republicans and Democrats in Congress to "rise to the moment".

"The time for talk is over," said President Obama. "The time for action is now, because we know that if we do not act, a bad situation will become dramatically worse. Crisis could turn into catastrophe⁵ for families and businesses across the country."

Mr. Obama painted a dire⁶ picture if lawmakers fail to act, saying that the recession could linger for years and that the economy would lose five million more jobs.

He said he understands that the economic recovery bill before Congress is not perfect, but he insisted that the scale and scope of the plan are appropriate for the severity of the economic crisis.

On the Senate floor, emotions and tempers flared⁷ on both sides of the aisle⁸ as a showdown vote on the measure appeared imminent⁹.

Democratic Senator Richard Durbin railed against Republicans for accusing Democrats of increasing the national debt with the proposed recovery bill.

"Barack Obama has been president for two weeks and two days," said Senator Durbin. "He did not create this economic crisis, he inherited this economic crisis."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the current version of the recovery bill "stinks¹⁰" and he accused Democrats for not seeking input¹¹ from Republicans when they wrote the measure.

"So I am telling you right now that if this is the solution to George Bush's problems, the country is going to get worse," said Senator Graham. "If this is the new way of doing business, if this is the 'change' we all can believe in, America's best days are behind her."

Behind the scenes, a group of moderate Democratic and Republican senators met privately¹² on Thursday to try to find a compromise solution that the Senate could pass by trimming the massive legislation by as much as $100 billion.

If the Senate passes the bill, the Senate and House versions will need to be reconciled before President Obama can sign the measure into law, which he says he hopes to do this month.

1 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。

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 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。

4 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

5 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

6 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

7 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

8 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

9 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

10 stinks   

v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• The whole scheme stinks to high heaven—don't get involved in it. 整件事十分卑鄙龌龊——可别陷了进去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soup stinks of garlic. 这汤有大蒜气味。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

12 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。