VOA标准英语2013--Washington Week: Focus on Immigration Reform, Boston Bombing Aftermath
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2013年(四月)
Washington Week: Focus on Immigration Reform, Boston Bombing Aftermath
With the eyes of the nation fixed 1 on Boston, major legislative 2 developments took a back seat last week. A push to reform America’s gun laws hit a roadblock in the Senate, and Democratic and Republican senators - the so-called Gang of Eight - presented a long-awaited immigration reform proposal.
Republican Marco Rubio said, “First and foremost, it is about modernizing 4 our legal immigration system. It is about helping 5 to attract the world’s best and brightest talent, and to keep the world’s best and brightest talent.”
The top Democrat 3 on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, says the status quo is unacceptable. “The dysfunction of the system affects all of us. Now is our time to fix it," he said.
The bill sets forth 6 a long and arduous 7 path for the undocumented to attain 8 U.S. citizenship 9. That provision amounts to amnesty that will attract more illegal border-crossers, according to critics such as Republican Congressman 10 Lou Barletta.
“We have our immigration laws for two reasons. One, to protect our national security. And two, to protect American jobs," he said.
The national security component 11 of the immigration debate could become a focal point in the aftermath of the Boston bombing. Both suspects came to the United States legally from abroad.
While their motives 12 have not been definitively 13 ascertained 14, they are already being mentioned as a cautionary tale by skeptics of immigration reform, including Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
“How can individuals evade 15 authority and plan such attacks on our soil,?" he asked. How can we beef up security checks on people who wish to enter the United States? How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not eligible 16 for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill before us?”
Gang of Eight senators are predicting long and fierce debate on immigration reform. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer:
“There will be perils 17 we cannot even anticipate, but we start off with optimism, because this bipartisan agreement gives us a sturdy ship to ride out the stormy seas ahead," he said.
More about the Boston bombing could be learned if the surviving suspect recovers from wounds sustained in a gun battle with police and shares information with interrogators. Meanwhile, the debate on immigration reform is moving forward at the Capitol.
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
- Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
- Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。
- 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。
- Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
- The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。
- 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。
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
- We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
- The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。
- I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
- His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。
- He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
- Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。
- 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。
- Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
- Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
- None of the three super-states could be definitively conquered even by the other two in combination. 三个超级国家中的任何一国都不可能被任何两国的联盟所绝对打败。 来自英汉文学
- Therefore, nothing can ever be definitively proved with a photograph. 因此，没有什么可以明确了一张照片。 来自互联网
- The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
- You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？
- He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
- Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。