Obama: Focus on Nation Building at Home

 　　U.S. President Barack Obama says after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, it is time to "focus on nation building here at home."

　　Obama said in his weekly address that Americans must ask themselves what kind of country the troops are returning to.  He said the country had to "secure the care and benefits" the veterans have earned, so that "we serve them as well as they have served us."

　　The president said his grandfather was able to go to college on the GI Bill after World War II when "the basic American promise" was if you work hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home and send your kids to college." President Obama said "keeping that promise alive is the defining¹ issue of our time."

　　President Obama said recovering from "the worst economic crisis² since the Great Depression" is a "work in progress."

　　The president said the country needs to invest in jobs, education, clean energy, medical research, and faster transportation and communication networks.  He said the nation's priorities³ should not include more tax cuts for millionaires.

　　U.S. Senator⁴ Bob Corker, of Tennessee, said in the Republican⁵ weekly address that the spending and debt in Washington is "literally⁶ robbing" the next generation of the opportunity to "live their own American dream."

　　Corker said this year's presidential budget would "actually decrease" economic growth over the next decade.

　　The Tennessee senator said "growing the private sector," instead of the government would "ensure that we remain the strongest country in the world."

1 defining   

规定( define的现在分词 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。
• This point can be put another way in defining poverty. 这一点还能从另一方面来加以说明以佐证贫困的涵义。 来自英汉非文学 - 新闻报道

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 priorities   

n.先( priority的名词复数 )；优先；优先权；优先考虑的事

参考例句：

• The document provided a revealing insight into the government's priorities. 这份文件使人看出政府的轻重缓急是怎样安排的。
• We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. 我们必须共同努力，只为最重要的项目提供资金。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

5 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。