美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-01-08

 First up today, some help is on the way for victims of what came to be known as super storm Sandy. The critics say that help is not enough. On Friday, one day after getting to work, the 113th U.S. Congress passed a bill worth $9 billion. The money from the federal government will be put in an insurance program that will help cover costs for this, this incredible damage we keep seeing from the October storm that was 1,000 miles wide. 

The money won¡¯t do much to help businesses though. More than 200,000 had some kind of damage or were otherwise impacted by Sandy. And that¡¯s why some of them and many lawmakers are calling for more government aid. Congress is scheduled to take up another bill worth $51 billion in businesses relief, but not until January 15th. 

Another issue, Congress is looking at, guns. The goal is to find a way to prevent more tragic¹ shootings in the U.S. But there are a lot of ideas about how to do that, so many that in the U.S. House of Representatives alone, almost 12 bills were introduced last week that had something to do with gun violence. So is the answer more restrictions² on guns or the people who can buy them, or more guns in more places? Congress, surprise, surprise, will have to find some middle ground on this to get something through both Houses and signed by the president. 

As students in Sandy Hook Elementary returned to class, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords nearly killed in a mass shooting two years ago, visited Newtown, Connecticut. And on Capitol Hill, lawmakers arrived to begin a new session of Congress, with members in both chambers³ taking aim at guns. 

This is a fight that the American people are going to have to stand up and stiffen⁴ their spine⁵. 

California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein plans to introduce a bill to ban more 100 assault weapons, eight years after the old ban she championed expired. Another Senate bill would ban high-capacity magazine, and among nearly a dozen gun bills introduced on day in the House are efforts to ban online sales of ammunition⁶, and to require background checks for all firearm sales, including at gun shows. Two bills from freshmen⁷ Republican congressmen would allow more guns around schools, echoing the position of the National Rifle Association. 

The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. 

We are better than 32 gun murder every day. 

Pro-gun control groups plan to keep pressing for action, but what are the prospects⁸ for their success?

If you¡¯re talking about stuff around the edges, like maybe banning high-capacity ammunition magazines, that might be possible. The NRA is the big issue. But I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s necessarily on the Republican side only, it¡¯s on the Democratic side also. You have fully⁹ half of your new Senate has an either A+, A, or A- rating from the NRA. So if you want anything to happen on gun control, you¡¯re going to have to have at least half of the Senate upsetting the NRA, so that¡¯s a very difficult proposition. 

There is no more uphill fight than this. The question is do we fight or do we knuckle¹⁰ under? 

President Obama says he wants action on gun legislation this year. He¡¯s asked Vice¹¹ President Biden to lead a task force to come up with recommendation on gun policy. They are expected this month. Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

1 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

4 stiffen   

v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬

参考例句：

• The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时，皮肤的供血量就减少了。
• I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。

5 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

6 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

7 freshmen   

n.（中学或大学的）一年级学生( freshman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生，他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• University freshmen get lots of razzing, but they like the initiation. 大一新生受各种嘲弄，但是他们对这种入门经验甘之如饴。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• 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。

10 knuckle   

n.指节；vi.开始努力工作；屈服，认输

参考例句：

• They refused to knuckle under to any pressure.他们拒不屈从任何压力。
• You'll really have to knuckle down if you want to pass the examination.如果想通过考试，你确实应专心学习。

11 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。