VOA慢速英语--面对分裂的国会，特朗普呼吁团结

Facing Divided Congress, Trump¹ Calls for Unity²

Facing a divided Congress for the first time in his presidency³, U.S. President Donald Trump called for the nation to “govern not as two parties but as one nation.”

The call for unity came as the president delivered his yearly State of the Union Tuesday night in front of a joint⁴ session of Congress. The nationally televised speech was delayed for one week, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew her invitation during the 35-day government shutdown.

The president opened his speech Tuesday by describing what he called “an economic miracle,” with rising wages, more jobs and tax cuts for working families.

Trump also said that “foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan⁵ investigations⁶” are the only things that can hold the country back.

“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation,” he declared. He was talking about the numerous investigations into his administration and his own finances.

The partial government shutdown began on December 21 because of disagreements over money to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. On January 25, Trump and Congressional leaders agreed to temporarily fund the government for three weeks.

Trump and Congressional leaders now have until February 15 to pass long-term bills to fund the government. With that deadline 10 days away, Trump called on lawmakers “to defend our very dangerous southern border” from gangs and drugs.

Trump said in his speech that his proposed border wall is now “a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier – not just a simple concrete wall.”

Pelosi has repeatedly said the House will not provide money to build a wall.

In a rare sign of unity, female Democratic lawmakers stood up to cheer the president after he made comments about women in the workplace. The female lawmakers wore white in honor of the suffrage⁷ movement that gave women the right to vote.

The president on Tuesday recognized that “more women (are) serving in the Congress than ever before.”

On foreign policy, Trump announced that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month in Vietnam to, in his words, “continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Trump said his administration also “has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical⁸ regime in Iran.”

The president repeated his claim that the Islamic State has been destroyed. He again called for bringing American troops home from Syria and Afghanistan. Trump said, “Great nations do not fight endless wars.”

Some of the president’s foreign policy comments are not in agreement with experts. In a recent appearance before Congress, the nation’s intelligence chiefs said that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and that ISIS is still “dangerous.”

Stacey Abrams of Georgia was chosen to give the Democratic Party’s response to Trump. She said in her televised speech, “Let’s be clear: Voter suppression is real.”

Abrams narrowly lost a close election in November. Had she won, she would have become America’s first black female governor.

On Tuesday night, Abrams asked Americans to “hold everyone, from the very highest offices to our own families, accountable for racist⁹ words and deeds and call racism¹⁰ what it is — wrong.”

I'm George Grow.

Words in This Story

ridiculous - adj. unreasonable¹¹

partisan - n. a person who strongly supports a particular leader, group or cause

suffrage - n. the right to vote

regime - n. a particular government

response - n. something that is said as a reply

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

10 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

11 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。