VOA标准英语2011--Obama Seeks to Ease Public Doubts on Job

Obama Seeks to Ease Public Doubts on Jobs Plan

For the third time in a week, President Barack Obama is campaigning for his jobs plan in a state that could be crucial to his re-election effort. Meanwhile, a new poll shows that more than half of Americans do not think the plan will help reduce unemployment.
President Obama took his economic message to the southern state of North Carolina. At North Carolina State University in Raleigh, the president again urged his audience to contact their lawmakers and express their support for his jobs initiative.
"We have got to kick off our bedroom slippers¹ and put on our marching shoes," said Obama. "We have got to get to work."
Obama's $447-billion program is intended to boost growth in the sluggish² U.S. economy and to reduce the 9.1-percent unemployment rate.
The president faces opposition³ from Republicans and some Democrats⁴ in Congress to his plan to raise taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations to pay for some of the initiatives.
In Raleigh, Obama called for citizens to back the plan. "Do you want to keep tax loopholes for oil companies or do you want to renovate⁵ more schools and rebuild more roads and bridges so construction workers have jobs again?" he asked.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have said they may support some parts of the American Jobs Act, but not all of it. White House officials say the president will sign whatever parts are passed, but will continue campaigning for passage of the entire package.
North Carolina has been identified as one of the states where next year's presidential election could be decided⁶. Obama's previous jobs speeches were in two other battleground states, Ohio and Virginia.
Unemployment in North Carolina is 10.1 percent, one point above the national average.
New public-opinion polls indicate the president faces more trouble nationwide. A recent Bloomberg poll shows that more than half of Americans (51%) doubt Obama's jobs plan will ease unemployment. According to the survey, 62 percent of Americans disapprove⁷ of the president's handling of the economy, and his overall job approval rating is at an all-time low of 45 percent.
But a new CNN poll shows that more people approve of Obama's jobs plan than disapprove (43% vs 35%). And it says that on economic matters, more Americans trust the president than Congress.
But the CNN survey says the president's overall disapproval⁸ rating has reached a new high with more than 70 percent surveyed saying the country is heading in the wrong direction. Only 36 percent like his handling of the economy.
Congress' approval rating is even worse, moving down to 15 percent.

1 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

2 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

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 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》

5 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

6 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。

7 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

8 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。