2006年VOA标准英语-US Democrats and Republicans Battle Over C
时间：2019-01-31 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（一月）
By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
18 January 2006
Months before mid-term legislative 1 elections, congressional Democrats 3 have formally signaled they will use the issue of corruption 4 in Congress as a key weapon in efforts to regain 5 control of the House and Senate. A day after Republicans tried to seize the advantage on the issue of lobbying reform, Democratic leaders unveiled their own package of proposals.
----------------------------------------------
Harry 6 Reid, center, at Democratic political event to outline agenda for reform in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. From left to right are: Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. Henry Waxman, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. James E. Clyburn
In an event that effectively doubled as the beginning of a campaign to win back control of Congress, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi portrayed 7 a Republican initiative on lobbying reform as vague and insufficient 8.
"Republicans have been, and continue to resist true reform because they all benefit from enabling the culture of corruption," she said. "Republicans have allowed this poison tree of corruption to bear the fruit of very bad policy for the American people."
She joined other Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in signing proposed legislation they call the Declaration of Honest Leadership Act.
"Our Honest Leadership Act will trump 9 any day, and it is going to trump today, this culture of corruption that we find here in America that is based here in the Republican Congress and in this Republican administration," he said.
Steps Republicans are considering include a ban on privately 10 funded travel, strengthening rules on disclosing contacts between lawmakers and lobbyists, and accepting gifts, as well as extending to two years the time before former lawmakers or staff can become lobbyists.
Democrats want an absolute ban on lobbyist-funded travel and gifts. And they want to go further by eliminating earmarks - special interest spending added to major legislation - and forcing an end to what Democrats allege 11 are strong-arm tactics Republicans use to suppress debate.
Jack 12 Abramoff (right) with his lawyer (2004 file photo)
Republicans are trying to avoid further political damage from the corruption investigation 13 into the activities of Jack Abramoff, the former Washington lobbyist who pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges last year.
In negotiating a plea bargain with federal prosecutors 14, he is reported to have implicated 15 a number of lawmakers, with the spotlight 16 falling mostly on key Republicans.
Bob Ney (file photo)
Republican Congressman 17 Bob Ney temporarily gave up his committee chairmanship, and could face indictment 18 in connection with the scandal.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who stepped down last year, faced pressure because of his close ties to Abramoff, and is fighting charges of violating campaign finance laws in Texas.
Former Republican Congressman Randy Cunningham admitted to having accepted more than two million dollars in bribes 19 from defense 20 contractors 21.
In the ethics 22 debate, Democrats may find the spotlight turned back on them.
Louisiana Democrat 2 William Jefferson has been under federal investigation. His former aide recently pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges. Two other House Democrats face possible action by the House Ethics Committee.
Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert suggests Republicans will not hesitate to highlight these cases once the committee, which has been paralyzed for a year by partisan 23 disputes, resumes work:
"There are people on the other side that should be before the ethics committee and were [lined up] to go before the ethics committee," he said.
At Wednesday's Democratic news conference, Senator Barack Obama said while Democrats do not have what he called a monopoly on virtue 24, Republican power has been marked by unprecedented 25 excesses:
"I think it is fair to say that the scandals we have seen, both legal and illegal, under the current White House and Congress, are far worse than most of us would have imagined," he said.
Republicans responded Wednesday with a statement saying Democrat attempts at throwing mud and trying to tear down Republicans with the hope of winning mid-term elections in November will not get the Democrats elected.
Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist urged Democrats to avoid what he called divisive partisan politics, saying they should focus on meaningful bipartisan solutions.
- 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。
- 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》
- The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
- The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
- He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
- The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
- Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
- The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
- In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。
- He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
- The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。
- Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
- The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
- The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
- Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。
- I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
- He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
- In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
- He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
- In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
- You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。
- These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
- The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
- 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。
- He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
- They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。
- It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
- corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
- Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。
- 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。
- He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
- You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
- The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
- A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。