Obama Tours Storm-Ravaged Louisiana

 Obama Tours Storm-Ravaged Louisiana U.S. President Barack Obama left the campaign trail on the eve of his party's nominating convention to visit with Louisiana residents hard-hit by Hurricane Isaac.

Obama toured St. John the Baptist Parish late Monday, about 50 kilometers outside of New Orleans, and met with residents, some of whom were forced to flee floodwaters by rushing to their rooftops to await rescue.

"One thing you know about folks in Louisiana, they are resilient," said President Obama. "People in Mississippi, they are resilient.  They know what tough times are like but they know that they can bounce back."

Obama also praised the Republican governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, and all the local and federal officials who have been helping¹ with recovery efforts.

"When disasters like this happen, we set aside whatever petty disagreements we may have," said Obama. "Nobody's a Democrat² or a Republican.  We're all just Americans looking out for one another."

Earlier in the day, Obama rallied blue collar workers in the nation's heartland, giving a Labor³ Day holiday address to unionized auto⁴ workers in Toledo, Ohio.  He cited the U.S. auto industry's comeback as a success for his administration.

"I stood with American workers. I stood with American manufacturing," he said. "I believed in you. I bet on you. I'll make that bet any day of the week. And because of that bet, three years later, that bet is paying off for America."

In contrast, Republican presidential challenger Mitt⁵ Romney said Labor Day was "a chance to celebrate the strong American work ethic⁶." But he said that for many jobless Americans it is "another day of worrying" when their next paycheck will come.

The Democratic National Convention - where Obama will be formally nominated for a second term - opens Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The U.S. has the world's largest economy, but it has struggled to regain⁷ its economic footing. The country's jobless rate remains⁸ above an unusually high 8 percent and the sluggish⁹ economy has imperiled Obama's re-election chances. Surveys show him in a virtual tie with Romney.

1 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。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 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。

4 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。

5 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

6 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。