时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(一月)


英语课
As a new 111th Congress convened 1 in the U.S. Capitol,Tuesday, majority Democrat 2 and minority Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives sounded notes of bipartisanship, pledging to work to repair the U.S. economy.
 






Scene in US House of Representatives, 6 Jan 2009



Newly-elected and returning members, accompanied by their families, crowded into the House chamber 4, and the first order of business was to establish a quorum 5, announced by outgoing House clerk Lorraine Miller 6. "Four hundred twenty eight representatives have recorded their presence. A quorum is present," she said.

The number of representatives is normally 435 but varies at times when members retire, resign or die.

One resignation announced on Monday was that of Rahm Emanuel, the former congressman 7 who is now chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama. A special election will be held in April for his seat in Illinois.

Later came another formality but one carrying considerable dramatic effect, the formal nominations 8 for the powerful position of House Speaker, announced by Democrat John Larson and Republican Mike Pence.

LARSON: "The Democratic caucus 9 has met and unanimously endorsed 10 [California Democratic Representative] Nancy Alessandro Pelosi for Speaker."

PENCE: "[Ohio Republican Representative] John A. Boehner, a representative-elect from the state of Ohio, for Speaker of the House."

Pelosi's re-election was never in doubt. The first woman ever to serve as Speaker, she now presides over the strongest Democratic majority in 16 years, currently 256 to 178 seats.

Boehner returns to lead Republicans now in their weakest position in years, after the national election this past November and retirements 11 of key members.

The 111th Congress convened amid continuing pessimism 12 about a recession-battered U.S. economy, something both Pelosi and Boehner addressed in their speeches.

In his remarks, Boehner said Republicans are ready to work with Democrats 13, and President-elect Obama. "When our president, our new president, extends his hand across the aisle 14, to do what is right for our country, Republicans will extend ours in return," he said.

Pelosi said lawmakers must look past political difference as they face historic challenge. "Let us all pledge to the American people that we will look forward not backward, we will join hands not point fingers, we will rise to the challenge recognizing that our love of country is stronger than any issue which may divide us," he said.

Expressions of bipartisanship aside, the first item on the House agenda brought the first partisan 3 battle of 2009, centering on an issue carried over from the previous Congress.

Republicans assert that rules changes engineered by Democrats will have the effect of suppressing debate and making it difficult for the minority to offer substantive 15 alternatives to legislation on the floor.

Democrats deny these allegations, saying rule changes will prevent Republicans from obstructing 16 important legislation and help Democrats advance important agenda items once Barack Obama assumes the presidency 17.



召开( convene的过去式 ); 召集; (为正式会议而)聚集; 集合
  • The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
  • The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员
  • The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
  • About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后,他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒
  • In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中,他们忘掉一切党派之争。
  • The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
n.法定人数
  • The meeting is adjourned since there is no quorum.因为没有法定人数会议休会。
  • Three members shall constitute a quorum.三名成员可组成法定人数。
n.磨坊主
  • Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
  • The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
n.(美)国会议员
  • He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
  • The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
n.提名,任命( nomination的名词复数 )
  • Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句
n.秘密会议;干部会议;v.(参加)干部开会议
  • This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
  • It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。
vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 );在(尤指支票的)背面签字;在(文件的)背面写评论;在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品
  • The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案,开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》
退休( retirement的名词复数 ); 退职; 退役; 退休的实例
  • We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
  • Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除,作为编余人员,暂时解雇或退休。
n.悲观者,悲观主义者,厌世者
  • He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
  • There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
  • 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》
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道
  • 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。
adj.表示实在的;本质的、实质性的;独立的;n.实词,实名词;独立存在的实体
  • They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
  • A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议,但也需要感情上的支持。
阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 ); 堵塞; 阻碍; 阻止
  • You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车,你挡住了我家的车道。
  • He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
学英语单词
able rating
absolute measurement method
amphiprion perideraion
application for admission
approximate market
aquifar test
attachment site
back-basket store
backswimming
bin system
bituminic
Boolean operators
bother oneself with
Brummagems
Caledon River
chronic heat exhaustion
coddler
common base current gain
concurrent negligences
conduit connection
cyclic ignorable coordinate
dark-sided
deacetylranaconitine
deratization certificate
double resonance
Dänischenhagen
effused-reflexed
equal aquals
equiblast cupola
extra-quranic
fixed points method of calibration
free storage period
frost fog
gas show
green colour
greenlit
Gris-PEG
hamlock
heart-leaved aster
horizontal resolution bars
hot-mix plant
humitas
hypothec bands
income tax on joint venture
indirect analog
individualized manpower training
inquisitivenesses
integrated software line
Interdev
ipropethidine
levy en masse
logistic regression
machine-element
MacS.
make a poor appearance
medical-devices
milli-webers
Moorewood
moorstone
nanobe
neocolonialisms
neutron fluxes
newricall
numerical subroutine library
Orchis kunihikoana
origin of the atmosphere
pale-golds
para-pentyloxy-phenol
payment in arrears
peroxybenzoic acid
pharyngeal opening of eustachian tube
poisonou
propargylchloride
rotary cup atomizing oil burner
rouke
round-necked
sack lunches
sailwing wind generator
sand-castles
self-incompatibillity
sideyways
simple chancre
slow sticking
spanghewed
structural var (svar)
swell-shrink characteristics
tannin idioblast
taran
tedd
tensile stressed skin
third-generation phototypesetter
three-part harmony
transitivity of equivalence relation
ultrahigh voltage transformer oil
uniformly placed
use bit
vicka
vidas
weed control chemicals
wishful thinking
Yerkish