VOA标准英语2010-Obama Welcomes Job Report, Says More Work

Dan Robinson | White House 02 April 2010

President Barack Obama speaks during a visit to Charlotte, N.C., 02 Apr 2010

President Barack Obama is pointing to the latest monthly U.S. government employment report saying it shows his policies are continuing to be successful in helping¹ the nation recover from the economic recession.  The president says despite the good news, it's clear more work needs to be done.

The U.S. economy registered its largest increase in jobs in three years in March, with the Bureau of Labor² Statistics reporting that 162,000 jobs were added.

However, the overall unemployment picture remained the same, a national 9.7 percent rate for the third straight month, a fact that provided more fuel for opposition³ Republicans and other critics of the president.

In a speech in North Carolina, the president focused on the positive, noting that a year ago the economy was losing some 700,000 jobs each month.

"Today is an encouraging day.  We learned that the economy actually produced a substantial number of jobs instead of losing a substantial number of jobs.  We are beginning to turn the corner," he said.

The president added that despite the good news in the March jobs report more work remains⁴ to be done, saying the government will not be able to reverse the impact of the recession overnight or the toll⁵ it has taken on Americans. 

Echoing this was the head of the president's Council of Economic Advisors⁶, Christina Romer, who said recent positive monthly figures are an "important beginning" though it will take many months of robust⁷ growth to turn the economy around and put Americans back to work.

Critics noted⁸ that the 162,000 job figure was below the 190,000 to 200,000 level the administration had hoped for, and the fact that 48,000 of the jobs added in March were temporary government positions linked to conducting the U.S. census⁹.

In a flurry of emails, Republicans asserted the president has been unsuccessful in private sector¹⁰ job growth, and would need to add 750,000 jobs each month for the rest of this year to reach a previous target of 3.7 million jobs by the end of 2010.

In an editorial in a newspaper in North Carolina, where the president was speaking, House of Representatives Republican leader John Boehner asserted that Americans were suffering as a result of new health care reform legislation and government bailouts.

Among the ongoing¹¹ worrying aspects of the job picture is the fact that the so-called "underemployment rate" for Americans who have been unable to find work or have given up hope of locating a job actually rose slightly to 16.9 percent.

In an off-camera briefing for reporters, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called the March job figures very encouraging, noting that the economy gained 54,000 jobs in the first quarter of this year.

At the same time, echoing the president's remarks in North Carolina, Gibbs again pointed¹² to the 8.5 million jobs lost since the U.S. recession began in 2007 during the administration of former President George W. Bush, saying the numbers in the latest report are still a genuine cause for concern.

 

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 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。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。