VOA标准英语 Obama Faces 100 Days Test
时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(四月)
President Barack Obama is going through a rite 1 of political passage this week - he is marking his first 100 days in office. The significance of the 100 days marker goes back to the presidency 2 of Franklin Roosevelt, who assumed power at the height of the Great Depression in 1933, and his first priority was reassuring 3 the public that better days were ahead.
"You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors 4 or guesses. Let us unite in banishing 5 fear," he said.
A statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC
Roosevelt was a master communicator and the first president to make effective use of the radio to build public support.
Roosevelt's ambitious legislative 6 program aimed at reviving the economy and his decisive leadership style remain the gold standard for how a new president takes charge in the first 100 days in office.
Other presidents had to cope with domestic and foreign policy stumbles in their first 100 days.
In 1961, President John Kennedy took responsibility for the disastrous 7 Bay of Pigs invasion involving U.S.-supported Cuban exiles trying to overthrow 8 the government of Fidel Castro.
For Kennedy, it was an early political setback 9 for a president untested on the world stage.
"On that unhappy island, as in some many other arenas 10 in the contest for freedom, the news has grown worse instead of better," he said.
President Barack Obama faced an incredibly daunting 11 economic situation in his first 100 days in office.
In some ways, Mr. Obama has modeled his initial approach in office on that of Franklin Roosevelt, mindful of Roosevelt's ability to communicate with the public and convey harsh realities and hope at the same time.
"By no means are we out of the woods just yet. But from where we stand, for the very first time, we are beginning to see glimmers 12 of hope," he said.
Journalists and political experts are spending a lot of time evaluating Mr. Obama's first 100 days in office, even though many of them acknowledge the 100 days mark is an arbitrary number.
Stephen Hess is a political scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington:
"It is a useful way to assess each individual president, not in historical terms, but just looking back and saying how have they gotten off the ground," said Hess.
Treasury 13 Secretary Timothy Geithner looks on as President Barack Obama makes remarks on housing refinancing, Thursday, April 9, 2009, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington
Political analyst 14 Stuart Rothenberg says the president's early and continuing popularity is in large part due to Mr. Obama's ability to convince voters that he is willing to tackle the nation's economic problems head-on.
"You have to say the one thing that he has done is he has brought a fresh spirit to the American public, a sense of at least partial relief that the government is trying to turn the economy around, is hands-on, understands people's problems, and that is really important," Rothenberg said.
Opposition 15 Republicans accuse the president of wanting to follow a far-left economic and social agenda, and they warn that his government spending plans will result in a huge jump in the national debt.
But analyst Rothenberg says so far, Mr. Obama has been able to deflect 16 some of the partisan 17 criticism.
"The strengths are clearly his personal ability to communicate with people, to communicate with the American public and to motivate and to change the mood in the country. And he has done a good job, I think, in trying to reach out to all Americans and not running a particularly partisan presidency, at least in rhetoric," he added.
But Republicans also complain that Mr. Obama has so far failed to follow through on his campaign promise to change the political tone in Washington and reach out to the opposition party.
That complaint may be highlighted in the next 100 days and beyond as the president moves to tackle politically divisive issues like health care reform and energy independence.
Brookings Institution expert Stephen Hess says Mr. Obama should push as much of his agenda as he can early on to maximize his political leverage 18.
"This is a good way to proceed because a president is never as popular and never has as much public support as when he first gets elected, otherwise it's like an hourglass with the sand running out, so take advantage of that honeymoon 19 knowing full well that you are not nearly going to get all that you propose," he said.
President Obama enjoys solid public support as he marks his first 100 days in office. The latest New York Times-CBS News poll shows his approval rating at 68 percent, while a Washington Post-ABC News poll registered his approval at 69 percent.
- This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
- Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。
- Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
- Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
- He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
- With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。
- Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- And he breathes out fast, like a king banishing a servant. 他呼气则非常迅速,像一个国王驱逐自己的奴仆。 来自互联网
- Banishing genetic disability must therefore be our primary concern. 消除基因缺陷是我们的首要之急。 来自互联网
- 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 heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
- Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨,血本无归。
- After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后,这个国家处于混乱中。
- The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。
- Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
- She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。
- Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
- Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗?
- They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
- Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。
- A faint lamp glimmers at the end of the passage. 一盏昏暗的灯在走廊尽头发出微弱的光线。 来自互联网
- The first glimmers of an export-led revival are apparent. 拉动出库复苏的第一缕曙光正出现。 来自互联网
- The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
- This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
- Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
- They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。
- 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。