时间:2018-12-19 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2009年4月


英语课

  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.

这个星期是奥巴马总统上任100天的重要日子,这是政治历程中的一个重要阶段。100天这个标志的重要性是从富兰克林.罗斯福总统开始的。富兰克林.罗斯福是在1933年大萧条最严重的时期担任总统的。当时他的首要任务是向公众保证,前途是光明的。

"You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors 4 or guesses. Let us unite in banishing 5 fear," he said.

他说:“你们必须有信心,绝不要被流言和猜测所吓倒。让我们团结起来驱散恐惧。”

Roosevelt was a master communicator and the first president to make effective use of the radio to build public support.

罗斯福很善于和民众沟通,他是第一位有效地利用广播来获取公众支持的总统。

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.

罗斯福雄心勃勃的振兴经济的立法项目和他果断的领导作风,至今仍然是衡量一位新总统如何在就职100天里行使权力的最高标准。

Other presidents had to cope with domestic and foreign policy stumbles in their first 100 days.

有的总统不得不在就职后的100天里应对国内和外交政策上的失误。

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.

1961年,约翰.肯尼迪总统为猪湾入侵的灾难性后果承担责任。那次事件涉及在美国支持下的古巴流亡者企图推翻菲德尔.卡斯特罗的政府。

For Kennedy, it was an early political setback 9 for a president untested on the world stage.

肯尼迪当时是一位在世界舞台上还没有受到考验的总统,这一事件是他早期遭遇的政治挫折。

"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.

肯尼迪说:“从那个不幸的岛屿上传来的消息,就像为争取自由而斗争的许多其他地方一样,越来越糟,而不是越来越好。”

President Barack Obama faced an incredibly daunting 11 economic situation in his first 100 days in office.

巴拉克.奥巴马总统在就职后的100天里面临一个极为棘手的经济局面。

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.

从某些方面来说,奥巴马上任初期的做法是以富兰克林.罗斯福为表率的,他注意到罗斯福与公众沟通的能力,在向他们指出严酷现实的同时也让他们抱有希望。

"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.

奥巴马说:“我们现在还没有走出困境。但是就目前的情况来说,我们头一次开始看到了希望的曙光。”

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.

新闻记者和政治专家花了很多时间来评估奥巴马就任总统后100天内的政绩,尽管他们中的很多人承认,用100天来衡量是很武断的。

Stephen Hess is a political scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington:

史蒂芬.赫斯是华盛顿布鲁金斯学会的一位政治学者。

"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.

他说:“这是评估每一位总统行之有效的方法,不是从历史的角度来评估,而只是回顾一下他们上任后是怎么开始执政的。”

Political analyst 13 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.

政治分析人士罗腾伯格说,奥巴马总统之所以能在早期,以致持续深得民心,主要是因为他能让选民相信他愿意毫不含糊地处理美国的经济问题。

"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.

他说:“你不得不承认他做到了一件事情:那就是在美国公众间振奋人心,至少让公众的情绪放松了一些,使他们感到政府正在努力扭转经济局面、正在着手处理问题,而且政府理解人民的难处,那的确相当重要。”

Opposition 14 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.

反对党共和党人指责奥巴马总统遵循极左的经济和社会方针,他们还警告说,奥巴马的政府预算计划将导致国家债台高筑。

But analyst Rothenberg says so far, Mr. Obama has been able to deflect 15 some of the partisan 16 criticism.

但是分析人士罗腾伯格说,迄今为止,奥巴马一直能转移反对派对他提出的批评。

"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.

他说:“显然他个人的人际交流能力是力量的源泉,也就是他和与美国公众的交流、调动积极因素并改变国内民众情绪的能力。他干得最出色的是设法和各界美国人民接触,不单纯从党派立场来执政,至少在口头上是如此。”

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.

但是共和党人仍然在抱怨奥巴马到目前为止还没兑现自己改变华盛顿政治气氛并联合反对党的竞选承诺。

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.

那种抱怨可能在今后的100天或者更长的时间里更为突显,因为奥巴马总统要采取步骤处理具有政治分歧性的医疗改革和能源独立问题。

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 17.

布鲁金斯学会的专家赫斯说,奥巴马应当及早全力以赴地推动自己的议程,以便充分利用他的政治优势。

"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 18 knowing full well that you are not nearly going to get all that you propose," he said.

他说:“这是取得进展的好办法,因为一位总统在刚当选时期往往最深得民心、他的公众支持率也是最高的。反过来说,就像一个沙漏,随着时间的推移沙子逐渐漏失,所以务必抓紧蜜月时机,而且要明白你所提出的建议不会全部通过的。”

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.

奥巴马总统上任100天,他享有相当高的公众支持率。最近纽约时报和哥伦比亚广播公司新闻节目的民调结果显示,他的支持率为68%,而华盛顿邮报和美国广播公司新闻节目的民调结果是,他享有69%的支持率。



1 rite
n.典礼,惯例,习俗
  • 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。
2 presidency
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
  • 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。
3 reassuring
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的,使人放心的
  • 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。
4 rumors
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷
  • 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》
5 banishing
v.放逐,驱逐( banish的现在分词 )
  • 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
6 legislative
n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的
  • 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。
7 disastrous
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的
  • 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。
8 overthrow
v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆
  • 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。
9 setback
n.退步,挫折,挫败
  • 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。
10 arenas
表演场地( arena的名词复数 ); 竞技场; 活动或斗争的场所或场面; 圆形运动场
  • 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?
11 daunting
adj.使人畏缩的
  • 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。
12 glimmers
n.微光,闪光( glimmer的名词复数 )v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的第三人称单数 )
  • 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
13 analyst
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
  • 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。
14 opposition
n.反对,敌对
  • 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。
15 deflect
v.(使)偏斜,(使)偏离,(使)转向
  • 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。
16 partisan
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒
  • 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。
17 leverage
n.力量,影响;杠杆作用,杠杆的力量
  • 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。
18 honeymoon
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
学英语单词
a-baffled
acetic acid amide
acoustic range
air peak
alabastrums
at the port
AVNRT
bacon and eggss
Ban On
bluetooth-enabled
body component
bos primgenius
Bousval
boy geniuses
burned region
button head screw
cage-bar
Charles Albert
chemicoluminescent
chokeout
conflagrative
cortege (france)
Corydalis claviculata
cubiclelike
cut meat
declasse
diffley
downfacing
Doxamin
electric motor oil
enamel incremental line
Evaluation period
exopt
fleming valve (tube)
frequency standard
fucketh
gas cleaning
general-purpose pig house
global address
golding by dipping
gradual contact
guyliners
half floated rate gyro
Hancock, Mount
Hillsboro Beach
homoscedasticity
hormone theory
iccs
imports and exports
innixion
internal primitive water
iron(iii) phosphite
Jackson Bay
Jordan-Wigner commutation rule
kip-up
Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
lesbophobia
lingshuiensis
liquid adhesives
lose the plot
meteorological instrument
milenkovich
minnesota scholastic aptitude test
multi-layer transient voltage suppressor
named peril policy
neutral gear
nominal fracture stress
nominal usable field strength
non-labor income
opsomenorrhea
Ouray County
patrilineal descent
penaeus japonicus
pin someone's ears back
plumbates
posthouse
present evidence
quasi judicial act
radiography
ragged text
relieving palpitation
revised-lower-bound
rocking bar
rotary knife cutting machine
Saussurea incisa
screenname
secondary property
self-regulations
shedding of leaves
shield cask
slagslide
stephanolepis japonicus
switch wheel
teleostei abdominales
Terence Rattigan
thorium resources
tiples
ultrastruct
underuption
uniater
whose fault