Obama: Economy Still Faces Tough Times

     President Barack Obama has defended his economic policies, saying the latest disappointing national employment figures demonstrate that more work needs to be done despite some growth in the economy. The president's remarks Friday were made at an automobile² plant in Toledo, Ohio.

    As the president touched down in Ohio, one of several states that will be important for his re-election prospects³ in 2012, the latest employment figures and reaction to them were in the spotlight⁴.

    According to the latest Department of Labor⁵ figures, the national jobless rate grew to 9.1% in May, a most unwelcome increase after several months in which the White House has tried to keep the public focused on overall job growth over 15 months.

    The net increase in employment was only 54,000 jobs, a significant decline from the past three months when the monthly average for new jobs was  220,000. At the same time, private companies hired only 83,000 new workers - the lowest level in almost a year.

    Back at the White House, the head of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers⁶, Austan Goolsbee, emphasized(强调) that 2.1 million jobs were added in the private sector⁷ over the past 15 months.

    Goolsbee pointed⁸ to the addition of 238,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector since 2010 and what he called "solid" increases in specific sectors⁹. Monthly employment and unemployment numbers, he added, are volatile¹⁰, saying "it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report."The president's purpose in Toledo, at a Chrysler plant involved in manufacturing Jeep vehicles, was to again underscore the success his administration's policies had in reviving the U.S. auto¹ industry.

    The federal government spent about $80 billion to bail¹¹ out Chrysler and General Motors, saving hundreds of thousands of jobs. Obama said failure of the auto industry would have triggered a "cascade¹² of damage.""So this industry is back on its feet, repaying its debts, gaining ground," he said. "And because of you, we can once again say that the best cars in the world are built right here in the USA, right here in Ohio, right here in the midwest."Noting that the government had been completely repaid, and six years ahead of schedule, for what he called the investments made in Chrysler under his watch, Obama said the government would soon sell its remaining interest in the company, returning it to 100 percent private ownership.

    Without specifically mentioning the new unemployment figures, Obama said the economy has faced "headwinds," including high gas prices, the economic impacts of the earthquake and tsunami¹³ in Japan, the situation in the Middle East - and still faces an uphill climb.

    "We still face some tough times, we still face some challenges," said the president. "This economy took a big hit. Just like if you had a bad illness, if you got hit by a truck. It's going to take a while for it to mend and that is what has happened to our economy. It's going to take a while for it to mend."The brief appearance in Toledo was the model for other such trips that Obama will make across the country in coming months, to promote his policies amid a still unsteady economic recovery, and as his 2012 re-election campaigning picks up speed.

    Back in Washington, Obama is immersed in ongoing¹⁴ negotiations¹⁵ with Congress on bringing down deficit¹⁶ spending and the national debt, led by Vice¹⁷ President Joe Biden, and the pressing issue of achieving an agreement on raising the U.S. debt ceiling.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

12 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

13 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 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。

17 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。