VOA慢速英语2012 THE MAKING OF A NATION - American History: George W. Bush’s First Term

THE MAKING OF A NATION - American History: George W. Bush’s First Term

 

STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

GEORGE W. BUSH: "America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility."

In recent weeks we talked about the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, two thousand one, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This week in our series, we look at domestic policy during the first term of President George W. Bush.

(MUSIC)

Bush, the Republican nominee¹, defeated Vice² President Al Gore³, the Democratic candidate, in the presidential election of two thousand.

A dispute over the ballot⁴ count in Florida delayed the declaration of a winner and only added to political divisions in the country. The results in Florida were extremely close. Five weeks passed as courts considered the issues. Finally, a conservative majority on the United States Supreme⁵ Court settled the matter. George Bush was to be president.

(MUSIC: “Hail to the Chief”)

GEORGE W. BUSH: "With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions, and make new beginnings. As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. [Applause] And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit, and ended with grace."

The new president spoke⁶ of American ideals.

GEORGE W. BUSH: "The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise: that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant⁷ person was ever born."

And he called on Americans to care for and respect each other.

GEORGE W. BUSH: "Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion⁸ and character. America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us goodwill⁹ and respect, fair dealing¹⁰ and forgiveness."

(MUSIC)

Soon after his inauguration¹¹, President Bush established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The goal was to fight problems like homelessness and drug abuse with the help of social agencies connected to religious groups.

Critics argued that this could violate the separation of religion and government under the United States Constitution. But the president said the agencies would provide shelter and food, not bibles.

(MUSIC)

President Bush took several actions on the environment during his first term, two of which brought strong protests from environmentalists.

In March two thousand one, he made the decision to reject the Kyoto Protocol¹². That international treaty sought reductions in the release of carbon dioxide and other industrial gases blamed for trapping heat in the atmosphere. Negotiators approved the treaty in Kyoto, Japan, at the end of nineteen ninety-seven to show their concern about climate change.

Vice President Gore later signed the Kyoto Protocol for the United States. But President Bill Clinton never sent it to the Senate for its required approval. The treaty faced enough opposition¹³ in the Senate that it might have been defeated.

President Bush decided¹⁴ to “unsign” the treaty. He said he did not want to put the United States at a competitive disadvantage with big developing countries like China and India. Those countries would not have been required to cut the large amounts of greenhouse gases they were producing. Bush said the agreement was unfair and would harm American industry at a time when the economy was weakening.

Critics said the president's decision would harm the environment and set a bad example for the world.

Another environmental issue concerned exploring for oil and natural gas. The president supported a measure to allow drilling in a wildlife refuge in the state of Alaska. He said doing so would reduce American dependence¹⁵ on foreign oil. Opponents argued that it would destroy wildlife in some of America’s most beautiful natural surroundings. In the end, the environmentalists won -- Congress did not approve the drilling.

(MUSIC)

One of President Bush's major domestic goals was improving America's public education system. In January two thousand two, he signed legislation passed by Congress called the No Child Left Behind Act.

GEORGE W. BUSH: "We owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country. As of this hour, America's schools will be on a new path of reform, and a new path of results."

(MUSIC)

The law increased the role of the federal government in an area where Americans have traditionally defended local control -- public education. No Child Left Behind had several goals: To help poor and minority students improve their performance. To provide choices for parents with students in low-performing schools. And to increase money for schools in low-income areas.

The law required all students in grades three through eight to be tested every year in reading and math. It held schools responsible for showing that all students were making progress, based on standards chosen by the states themselves. No Child Left Behind had many supporters. But critics said the expectations were unreasonable¹⁶ and that teachers might just teach to the test.

(MUSIC)

Another major piece of legislation dealt with health care for older Americans. President Bush wanted to extend Medicare, the nation's health insurance program for people sixty-five and older.

GEORGE W. BUSH: “For nearly four decades, Medicare has been the binding¹⁷ commitment of a caring society. We must renew that commitment by providing our seniors with the preventative care and new medicines that are transforming health care in our country.

“We must protect seniors from high medical costs that can rob them of their savings¹⁸. And we must place patients and their doctors at the center of every health care decision. My goal is to give seniors more choices and better benefits under Medicare, including a long-awaited prescription¹⁹ drug benefit.”

In two thousand three he signed a law to help forty million older Americans pay for their medicine.

On another issue, he banned federal funding for research on any new stem cells taken from human embryos²⁰. But he agreed to allow the first federal spending on research on existing lines of embryonic²¹ stem cells. Such cells interest some medical researchers because they can grow into different kinds of cells. But opponents object, for moral and religious reasons, to destroying embryos for the purpose of harvesting stem cells.

(MUSIC)

George Bush promised to cut taxes for Americans. In two thousand one, he signed a bill passed by Congress calling for more than one trillion dollars in tax reductions over time. The president said the economy would improve if people had more money to spend.

In two thousand three, Congress passed three hundred fifty billion dollars in additional tax reductions. That was less than half of what the president had proposed.

In two thousand two, President Bush signed a law that increased punishments for financial dishonesty by companies. The new law also established an independent group to oversee²² the accounting²³ industry.

(MUSIC)

The action came after several major companies failed, including, in two thousand one, Enron. Enron had grown into America's leading energy company.

REPORTER CHRIS BURY: "In the canyons²⁴ of downtown Houston, home to the country's energy giants, a sense of gloom surrounds this one. Only months ago, it was the mightiest²⁵ of them all. [Phone rings] Now Enron answers the phone with this recorded message.”

ENRON PHONE MESSAGE: “On December second, Enron filed under the Chaper Eleven of the Bankruptcy²⁶ Code, thus commencing proceedings²⁷ to stabilize²⁸ our financial situation.”

It was at that time the largest bankruptcy in American history. Ten thousand people lost their jobs. Some Enron investors²⁹ lost all their money in the failure. Former employees lost the retirement³⁰ payments they needed to live on. Some top Enron officials were found to have used dishonest accounting methods to hide financial problems from investors.

Enron's troubles also involved two large banks, Chase and CitiGroup, and a big financial company, Merrill Lynch.

CARL LEVIN: "Enron couldn't have engaged in the deceptions³¹ it did without the help of a major financial institution. Merrill Lynch assisted Enron in cooking its books, by pretending to purchase an existing Enron asset, when it was really engaged in a loan.”

Senator Carl Levin led a hearing into accounting and consulting practices and how they benefited Enron. Those actions included inflating³² the value of the company's stock.

The collapse³³ of Enron was followed by a series of other corporate³⁴ failures linked to dishonest accounting methods.

(MUSIC)

November second, two thousand four, was Election Day. Four years earlier, George W. Bush had been elected in one of the closest races in American history. Now he would have another chance to test his popularity with the American people.

The two thousand four election will be our story next week.

(MUSIC)

You can find our series online with transcripts³⁵, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at www.voanews.cn. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember, inviting³⁶ you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

___

Contributing: Jerilyn Watson

This was program #237. For earlier programs, type "Making of a Nation" in quotation³⁷ marks in the search box at the top of the page.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 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。

3 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

8 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

9 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

12 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• 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。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

16 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

17 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

18 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

19 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

20 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

21 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

22 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

23 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

24 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

25 mightiest   

adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的

参考例句：

• \"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

26 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

27 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

28 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

29 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

30 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

31 deceptions   

欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计

参考例句：

• Nobody saw through Mary's deceptions. 无人看透玛丽的诡计。
• There was for him only one trustworthy road through deceptions and mirages. 对他来说只有一条可靠的路能避开幻想和错觉。

32 inflating   

v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的现在分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• I felt myself inflating slowly with rage, like a tyre. 我感到自己体内的怒气正慢慢膨胀，像一只轮胎那样。 来自互联网
• Many are already overheating, with prices rising and asset bubbles inflating. 随着物价日益上涨、资产泡沫膨胀，很多新兴国家经济已经过热。 来自互联网

33 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

34 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

35 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

36 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

37 quotation   

n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情

参考例句：

• He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
• The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。