【美国总统电台演说】2008-06-21
时间:2018-12-30 作者:英语课 分类:美国总统电台演说
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Americans are concerned about the high price of gasoline. Everyone who commutes 1 to work, purchases food, ships a product, or takes a family vacation feels the burden of higher prices at the pump. And families across our country are looking to Washington for a response.
The fundamental problem behind high gas prices is that the supply of oil has not kept up with the rising demand across the world. One obvious solution is for America to increase our domestic oil production. So my Administration has repeatedly called on Congress to open access to new oil exploration here in the United States. Unfortunately, Democrats 2 on Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal. Now Americans are paying the price at the pump for this obstruction 3. So this week, I asked Democratic congressional leaders to take the side of working families and small businesses and farmers and ranchers and move forward with four steps to expand American oil and gasoline production.
First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access to the Outer Continental 4 Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that the OCS could produce enough oil to match America's current production for almost ten years. The problem is that Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. So I've called on the House and Senate to lift this legislative 5 ban and give states the option of opening up OCS resources off their shores while protecting the environment. There's also an executive prohibition 6 on exploration in the OCS, which I will lift when Congress lifts the legislative ban.
Second, we should expand American oil production by tapping into the extraordinary potential of oil shale 7. Oil shale is a type of rock that can produce oil when exposed to heat and other processes. One major deposit in the Rocky Mountain West alone would equal current annual oil imports for more than a hundred years. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress are standing 8 in the way of further development. In last year's omnibus spending bill, Democratic leaders inserted a provision blocking oil shale leasing on Federal lands. That provision can be taken out as easily as it was slipped in -- and Congress should do so immediately.
Third, we should expand American oil production by permitting exploration in northern Alaska. Scientists have developed innovative 9 techniques to reach this oil with virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife. With a drilling footprint that covers just a tiny fraction of this vast terrain 10, America could produce an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil. That is roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. I urge members of Congress to allow this remote region to bring enormous benefits to the American people.
Finally, we need to expand and enhance our refining capacity. It has been 30 years since a new refinery 11 was built in our Nation, and lawsuits 12 and red tape have made it extremely costly 13 to expand or modify existing refineries 14. The result is that America now imports millions of barrels of fully 15 refined gasoline from abroad. This imposes needless costs on American families and drivers. It deprives American workers of good jobs. And it needs to change.
I know Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the past. Now that their opposition 16 has helped drive gas prices to record levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. If congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess 17 without taking action, they will need to explain why $4-a-gallon gasoline is not enough incentive 18 for them to act.
This is a difficult time for many American families. Rising gasoline prices and economic uncertainty 19 can affect everything from what food parents put on the table to where they can go on vacation. With the four steps I've laid out, Congress now has a clear path to begin easing the strain high gas prices put on your family's pocketbook. These proposals will take years to have their full impact, so I urge Congress to take action as soon as possible. Together, we can meet the energy challenges we face -- and keep our economy the strongest, most vibrant 20, and most hopeful in the world.
Thank you for listening
- She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
- Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津,通勤往来。
- 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》
- She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
- The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。
- A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
- The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。
- 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 prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
- They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。
- We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
- Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
- 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。
- He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
- He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。
- They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
- The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
- Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权,耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
- I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多,赢的也多,输的也多。 来自辞典例句
- It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
- This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
- The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
- Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以,炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
- 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。
- The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
- Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。
- Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中,钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
- He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。
- Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
- After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后,压力开始产生影响了。