英语博客(A cup of English):035 Obama
时间：2019-01-28 作者：英语课 分类：英语博客 A cup of English
Beginners.
Today was a very special day here in the U.S. Do you know what the special occasion was? It was the inauguration 1 of the 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama. It is a time of excitement. Everybody wants to see changes. We all wonder what Obama will do. Will he change the politics in Washington? Will the economy improve? Who knows? Time will tell. The inaugural 2 ceremony is an important tradition. It is a huge celebration; a time to welcome the new President and to say goodbye to the previous one. Do you think that George W. Bush is sad to leave the Oval office and to retire? Perhaps. I think that it must be a relief to retire after being in such an important position for eight years. Phew! It makes me feel tired just thinking about it!
Grammar notes.
Useful vocabulary: inauguration, ceremony, celebration, to retire, the President, politics.
Questions: Do you know what the special occasion was? Exs: Do they know what the problem with the car was? Why don't you tell me what the problem is?
Do you think that he is sad? Do you think I look fat in this dress? Don't you think (that) it is time to go? * the word 'that' is optional.
Advanced.
Yesterday and today were auspicious 3 and significant days for U.S. history. Yesterday was Martin Luther King day. It is a national holiday to celebrate that great civil rights leader who forged a deeper, more equitable 4 national conscience about civil justice. And today was the inauguration of Barack Obama. What a tremendous ceremony and celebration it was. Talk about expectation and hope becoming almost physical as the event took place. High hopes have been placed on the shoulders of the new President. But, does he represent more than racial progress in this country? One would hope so. The economy needs to turn around before too many become unemployed 5. Is this achievable in one term of office? Obama said throughout his presidential campaign that it would take years to correct the underlying 6 errors of government that have led to this financial crisis. This seems to be the main concern; it is uppermost on people's minds. The health service and national security are also huge issues that will be dealt with. I cannot even begin to imagine how taxing and exhausting the job of President must be, especially if you are a person of conscience. How could you detatch yourself sufficiently 7 from work to remain sane 8, yet remain in-touch and sensitive enough to be an effective change maker 9? There is no doubt that Obama faces huge challenges, but hopefully he has the strength of character needed to meet those challenges honestly.
Grammar notes.
Useful vocabulary: auspicious, significant, equitable, conscience, achievable, underlying errors, uppermost, issue, sensitive, in-touch, exhausting.
- The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
- Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。
- We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
- Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。
- The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
- With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。
- This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
- Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。
- There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
- The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
- The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
- This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
- It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
- The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
- He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
- He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。