VOA常速英语2015--奥巴马和国会或将在全球事务上发生矛盾

Obama, Republican Congress Likely to Clash on Global Affairs 奥巴马和国会或将在全球事务上发生矛盾

WASHINGTON— The new, entirely¹ Republican-led U.S. Congress will weigh in on global hotspots and America’s response to them when lawmakers return to Washington next week. Conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East are on legislators’ minds - as are high-profile international initiatives undertaken by President Barack Obama.

International negotiations² on Iran’s nuclear program resume one week after Congress gavels in. Skeptics, like Republican Senator Bob Corker, have said lawmakers will consider tougher sanctions on Tehran in case negotiations fail.

在国会复会一周后，国际上有关伊朗核项目的协商将继续。像共和党参议员鲍勃·科克这样的怀疑主义者称，一旦协商失败，议员们将考虑对伊朗采取更强硬制裁。

“There will be a desire very quickly after the first of the year for Congress to weigh in on the topic in some form or fashion. Congress will want to weigh in on the Iran deal,” he said.

“今年国会将很快希望以某种方式加入该议题的辩论，国会希望加入到伊朗协议谈判中。”

Congressional wariness³ over Iran’s nuclear ambitions is not new. What no one anticipated just weeks ago is that Congress would wrestle⁴ with President Obama’s surprise diplomatic opening with Cuba.

国会对伊朗核野心的谨慎并不新鲜，数周前没人预料到的是，国会将全力反对奥巴马总统做出的与古巴建交的惊人之举。

Ending the U.S. embargo⁵ of Cuba would require an act of Congress, something Democratic Senator Ben Cardin supports.

结束美国对古巴禁运将需要国会做出行动，这是民主党参议员本·卡丁所支持的。

“There will be a need for Congress to take action, hopefully, as we move to a new chapter in our Cuban relations. And it is going to be an interesting debate,” said Cardin.

“国会需要采取行动，希望在我们与古巴关系进入新阶段时采取行动，这将是个很有趣的辩论。”

Republican Senator Marco Rubio is ready for that debate.

共和党参议员马克·卢比已经准备好参加这次辩论。

“This Congress is not going to lift the embargo,” he said. “The White House has conceded everything and gained little from Havana. They gained no commitment on the part of the Cuban regime to freedom of the press, or freedom of speech, or elections.”

“国会不会取消禁运的，白宫让步很多，却从哈瓦那那里获得甚少，也没有从古巴政权那里得到有关出版、言论或选举自由的承诺。”

Republicans want to be seen as offering constructive⁶ criticism, according to political scientist William Howell.

政治科学家威廉·豪厄尔说，共和党希望被看做是建设性的批评者。

“On the one hand, they want to underscore failings on the part of the Obama administration, and on the other hand, they need to be seen as a responsible, mature party that can lead the nation,” said Howell.

“一方面，他们希望强调奥巴马政府的失败，另一方面，他们希望被看做是一个能领导这个国家的负责、成熟政党。”

Majority status in both houses of Congress will give Republicans a louder megaphone to critique the president’s handling of crises from Ukraine to the Islamic State insurgency⁷ in Iraq and Syria.

国会中多数派的地位将使得共和党发出更响亮的声音来批评总统的危机处理能力，包括乌克兰问题，伊拉克和叙利亚的IS叛乱。

Obama is also not immune to dissent⁸ from his own Democratic Party, according to political analyst⁹ Stuart Rothenberg.

政治分析家斯图尔特·罗森堡说，奥巴马同时还要面对共和党内部的不同声音。

“The president could have as many or more problems on the left, with Democrats¹⁰, on international and national security issues as he could have with Republicans. There are lots of Democrats who are more concerned about the U.S. recommitting military troops,” said Rothenberg.

“在国际问题和国家安全问题上，奥巴马将面对来自民主党的不同声音不少于来自共和党的不同声音，有很多民主党更担心美国重新调遣兵力的问题。”

 

Whatever Congress’ concerns, the president appears determined¹¹ to leave a stamp on America’s outreach to the world. In a recent interview, he said: “I believe in diplomacy¹². I believe in dialogue. I believe in engagement.”

无论国会如何担心，总统似乎决定在美国的对外事务中留下自己的特色，他最近在接受采访时说，“我相信民主，我相信对话，我相信对外交往。”

 

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 wariness   

n. 注意,小心

参考例句：

• The British public's wariness of opera is an anomaly in Europe. 英国公众对歌剧不大轻易接受的态度在欧洲来说很反常。
• There certainly is a history of wariness about using the R-word. 历史表明绝对应当谨慎使用“衰退”一词。

4 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

5 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

6 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

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 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。