奥巴马每周电台演讲

　　One of the reasons I ran for President was because I believed so strongly that the voices of everyday Americans, hardworking folks doing everything they can to stay afloat, just weren’t being heard over the powerful voices of the special interests in Washington.  And the result was a national agenda（日常工作事项） too often skewed（曲解的，歪斜的） in favor of those with the power to tilt 1 the tables.

In my first year in office, we pushed back on that power by implementing（实施，贯彻，执行）—— historic reforms to get rid of the influence of those special interests. On my first day in office, we closed the revolving 2 door between lobbying firms and the government so that no one in my administration would make decisions based on the interests of former or future employers.  We barred gifts from federal lobbyists to executive branch officials.  We imposed tough restrictions 3 to prevent funds for our recovery from lining 4 the pockets of the well-connected, instead of creating jobs for Americans. And for the first time in history, we have publicly disclosed the names of lobbyists（游说者） and non-lobbyists alike who visit the White House every day, so that you know what’s going on in the White House – the people’s house.

We’ve been making steady progress. But this week, the United States Supreme 5 Court handed a huge victory to the special interests and their lobbyists – and a powerful blow to our efforts to rein 6 in corporate 7 influence. This ruling strikes at our democracy itself. By a 5-4 vote, the Court overturned more than a century of law – including a bipartisan campaign finance law written by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold that had barred corporations from using their financial clout 8 to directly interfere 9 with elections by running advertisements for or against candidates in the crucial closing weeks.

This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited 10 amount of special interest money into our democracy. It gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage 11 to spend millions on advertising 12 to persuade elected officials to vote their way – or to punish those who don’t. That means that any public servant who has the courage to stand up to the special interests and stand up for the American people can find himself or herself under assault come election time.  Even foreign corporations may now get into the act.

I can’t think of anything more devastating 13 to the public interest. The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington, or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.

All of us, regardless of party, should be worried that it will be that much harder to get fair, common-sense financial reforms, or close unwarranted tax loopholes that reward corporations from sheltering their income or shipping 14 American jobs off-shore.

It will make it more difficult to pass commonsense（常识的） laws to promote energy independence because even foreign entities 15 would be allowed to mix in our elections.

It would give the health insurance industry even more leverage to fend 16 off reforms that would protect patients.

We don’t need to give any more voice to the powerful interests that already drown out the voices of everyday Americans.

And we don’t intend to. When this ruling came down, I instructed my administration to get to work immediately with Members of Congress willing to fight for the American people to develop a forceful, bipartisan response to this decision.  We have begun that work, and it will be a priority for us until we repair the damage that has been done.

A hundred years ago, one of the great Republican Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt（罗斯福）, fought to limit special interest spending and influence over American political campaigns and warned of the impact of unbridled, corporate spending. His message rings as true as ever today, in this age of mass communications, when the decks are too often stacked against ordinary Americans.  And as long as I’m your President, I’ll never stop fighting to make sure that the most powerful voice in Washington belongs to you.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

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1
tilt

  
 


v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜


参考例句：





She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.












2
revolving

  
 


adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想


参考例句：





The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。












3
restrictions

  
 


约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）


参考例句：





I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制












4
lining

  
 


n.衬里，衬料


参考例句：





The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。












5
supreme

  
 


adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的


参考例句：





It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。












6
rein

  
 


n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治


参考例句：





The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。












7
corporate

  
 


adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的


参考例句：





This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。












8
clout

  
 


n.用手猛击；权力，影响力


参考例句：





The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。












9
interfere

  
 


v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰


参考例句：





If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。












10
unlimited

  
 


adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的


参考例句：





They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。












11
leverage

  
 


n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量


参考例句：





We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。












12
advertising

  
 


n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的


参考例句：





Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。












13
devastating

  
 


adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的


参考例句：





It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。












14
shipping

  
 


n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）


参考例句：





We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。












15
entities

  
 


实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )


参考例句：





Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。












16
fend

  
 


v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开


参考例句：





I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。