奥巴马演讲视频：Stopping Oil Market Fraud, Beginning a Clean Energy Future

This is a time of year when people get together with family and friends to observe Passover and to celebrate Easter. It’s a chance to give thanks for our blessings 1 and reaffirm our faith, while spending time with the people we love. We all know how important that is – especially in hard times. And that’s what a lot of people are facing these days.

Even though the economy is growing again and we’ve seen businesses adding jobs over the past year, many are still looking for work. And even if you haven’t faced a job loss, it’s still not easy out there. Your paycheck isn’t getting bigger, while the cost of everything from college for your kids to gas for your car keeps rising. That’s something on a lot of people’s minds right now, with gas prices at $4 a gallon. It’s just another burden when things were already pretty tough.

Now, whenever gas prices shoot up, like clockwork, you see politicians racing 2 to the cameras, waving three-point plans for two dollar gas. You see people trying to grab headlines or score a few points. The truth is, there’s no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away.

But there are a few things we can do. This includes safe and responsible production of oil at home, which we are pursuing. In fact, last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003. On Thursday, my Attorney General also launched a task force with just one job: rooting out cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets that might affect gas prices, including any illegal activity by traders and speculators. We’re going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain. And another step we need to take is to finally end the $4 billion in taxpayer 3 subsidies 4 we give to the oil and gas companies each year. That’s $4 billion of your money going to these companies when they’re making record profits and you’re paying near record prices at the pump. It has to stop.

Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow’s. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy. In the long term, that’s the answer. That’s the key to helping 5 families at the pump and reducing our dependence 6 on foreign oil. We can see that promise already. Thanks to an historic agreement we secured with all the major auto 7 companies, we’re raising the fuel economy of cars and trucks in America, using hybrid 8 technology and other advances. As a result, if you buy a new car in the next few years, the better gas mileage 9 is going to save you about $3,000 at the pump.

But we need to do more. We need to harness the potential I’ve seen at promising 10 start-ups and innovative 11 clean energy companies across America. And that’s at the heart of a debate we’re having right now in Washington about the budget.

Both Democrats 12 and Republicans believe we need to reduce the deficit 13. That’s where we agree. The question we’re debating is how we do it. I’ve proposed a balanced approach that cuts spending while still investing in things like education and clean energy that are so critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the middle class. It’s a simple idea: we need to live within our means while at the same time investing in our future.

That’s why I disagree so strongly with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent. Yes, we have to get rid of wasteful 14 spending – and make no mistake, we’re going through every line of the budget scouring 15 for savings 16. But we can do that without sacrificing our future. We can do that while still investing in the technologies that will create jobs and allow the United States to lead the world in new industries. That’s how we’ll not only reduce the deficit, but also lower our dependence on foreign oil, grow the economy, and leave for our children a safer planet. And that’s what our mission has to be.

Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.

 

点击收听单词发音  






1
blessings

  
 


n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福


参考例句：





Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》












2
racing

  
 


n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的


参考例句：





I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。












3
taxpayer

  
 


n.纳税人


参考例句：





The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。












4
subsidies

  
 


n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )


参考例句：





European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》












5
helping

  
 


n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的


参考例句：





The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。












6
dependence

  
 


n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属


参考例句：





Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。












7
auto

  
 


n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车


参考例句：





Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。












8
hybrid

  
 


n.(动，植）杂种，混合物


参考例句：





That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。












9
mileage

  
 


n.里程，英里数；好处，利润


参考例句：





He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？












10
promising

  
 


adj.有希望的，有前途的


参考例句：





The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。












11
innovative

  
 


adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的


参考例句：





Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。












12
democrats

  
 


n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )


参考例句：





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》












13
deficit

  
 


n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差


参考例句：





The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。












14
wasteful

  
 


adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的


参考例句：





It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。












15
scouring

  
 


擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤


参考例句：





The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。












16
savings

  
 


n.存款，储蓄


参考例句：





I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。