Partisan Divides Sharpen Ahead of Major Obama Speech-英语课

时间：2019-02-07 作者：英语课 分类：英语新闻

英语课

　　Days before President Barack Obama is expected to unveil proposals to boost America’s sluggish 1 economy and reduce stubbornly high unemployment, the White House is hearing conflicting messages from lawmakers and others as to what the president should put forth 2.

　　Thursday’s address before a joint 3 session of Congress is expected to set political battle lines for the remainder of the year and perhaps all the way to the 2012 general election.
　　Progressive members of Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party say the president should champion bold government action to revive a languishing 4 economy. Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California spoke 5 on NBC’s Meet the Press television program.
　　“He must have a jobs program, must create jobs,” said Waters. "I am talking about a program of a trillion dollars or more. We have got to put Americans to work. I am very hopeful that the president is going to put a big program out there and fight very hard for it.”
　　Already rejecting such an approach are Republicans, who control the House of Representatives. Minnesota Congresswoman and Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann blasted Mr. Obama’s economic policies on CBS’ Face the Nation program.
　　“His solutions have all been government-focused and very temporary gimmick 6 fixes,” said Bachmann. "It is destabilizing if you do not have permanent fixes. I want to see permanency in the [U.S.] tax code.”
　　That view was echoed by Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who spoke on ABC’s This Week program. DeMint said actions, not words, are sorely needed to boost confidence in the private sector 7 and encourage businesses to hire workers.
　　“I, frankly 8, am very tired of speeches,” said DeMint. "I do not want to be disrespectful of the president, but what I want to see is something in writing. I do not think the president is going to come out with things that are really going to create jobs. I am afraid it is just pandering 9 to his [political] base.”
　　President Obama has only hinted at the measures he will propose Thursday. Last week, reporters repeatedly pressed White House spokesman Jay Carney for details, without success.
　　“Economists will be able to look at this series of proposals and say that, based on history, based on what we know, that it would add to economic growth and it would cause an increase in job creation,” said Carney.
　　For months, U.S. joblessness has been stuck at the nine-percent range. Since World War II, no U.S. president has been re-elected with an unemployment rate that high. Constraining the federal government’s ability to stimulate 10 the economy are trillion-dollar deficits 11 and chronic 12 political gridlock in Washington.

1 sluggish

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

2 forth

adv.向前；向外，往外

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。

3 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。

4 languishing

a. 衰弱下去的

He is languishing for home. 他苦思家乡。
How long will she go on languishing for her red-haired boy? 为想见到她的红头发的儿子，她还将为此烦恼多久呢？

5 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