VOA标准英语2012--Obama's State of the Union Address to Focus on Economic Fair Play-英语课

时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(一月)

英语课

Obama's State of the Union Address to Focus on Economic Fair Play

The economy will be front and center as the president makes the trip to Capitol Hill to address a joint 1 session of Congress.

Unemployment is falling, but not as quickly as Obama hoped. This threatens his re-election chances.

But Congress has historically low approval ratings - polls show that more than 80 percent of Americans disapprove 2 of the job it is doing.

In speeches across the country, Obama has targeted what he calls congressional dysfunction.

On Saturday, the president issued a video message previewing broad themes of what he calls his blueprint 3 for America's economy. He said it will be based on a speech he gave in Osawatomie, Kansas, last year in which he spoke 4 about the importance of the middle class and fair play.

"I talked in Osawatomie about - this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class and folks trying to work their way into the middle class," he said. "Because we can go in two directions. One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

His preview did not contain the kind of fiery 5 remarks he made last week about the political environment.

"It is going to take more than a few years to meet the challenges that were decades in the making," said the president. "The American people understand that. What they don't understand is leaders who refuse to take action. They are sick and tired of watching people who are supposed to represent them [but] put party ahead of country, or the next election before the next generation."

Obama said he will offer proposals to help U.S. manufacturing, boost the energy sector 6 through alternative sources, and provide Americans with more education and training.

Obama is likely to use the State of the Union address to list key accomplishments 7: health-care reform, tightening 8 controls on Wall Street, withdrawing troops from Iraq, setting the course toward a U.S. departure from Afghanistan, the killing 9 of Osama bin 10 Laden 11.

1 joint

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 disapprove

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

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。

3 blueprint

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

4 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