2006年VOA标准英语-US Legislators Race to Conclude Vietnam, Other

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
07 December 2006

Legislation to establish permanent U.S. normal trade relations [PNTR] with Vietnam is nearing consideration again in the U.S. Congress, and could win final approval before lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn¹. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, the Vietnam bill has been a major priority on the Bush administration's trade agenda, and lawmakers are racing² to conclude other important foreign and domestic measures.

Vietnam

The last time the Vietnam legislation came to the floor in the House of Representatives it received a majority of votes, but not the two-thirds margin³ required under a method Republicans used for consideration.

That was an embarrassment⁴ for President Bush who was on his way to an economic summit in Hanoi, where he hoped to be able to cite the achievement in his talks with Asian leaders.

Running out of time before the House and Senate end their 109th session, Republicans are trying again, facing the worrying possibility that the legislation could be delayed until it could be brought up again next year in a new Democratic-controlled Congress.

Approval would put Vietnam in a category of nations exempted⁵ from annual trade reviews based on human rights and other grounds.

However, there has been opposition⁶ from lawmakers representing textile-manufacturing states concerned about competition from cheap imports.

And many lawmakers say Vietnam has yet to take aggressive steps to improve its human rights and religious freedom records.

As House and Senate negotiators raced to rescue the Vietnam bill, they are reported to have agreed on a wording compromise aimed at satisfying critics on the human rights issue.

Lawmakers also faced the task of approving trade-related legislation regarding Andean nations (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia), Haiti and sub-Saharan African countries.

In the House, these issues are thrown into a single trade package along with Vietnam.

The Senate is likely to vote Friday on a large catch-all measure containing trade, and such domestic matters as tax breaks, heath care, and offshore⁷ oil drilling.

Lawmakers have also left to the last moments of the session legislation required for the U.S. - India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement to go ahead.

Negotiators reached agreement Thursday on a final reconciled bill revising the U.S. Atomic Energy Act and both chambers⁸ of Congress will have to vote again before President Bush can sign it into law.

Senator Bill Frist, who attempted to allay⁹ Indian government concerns earlier in the week, issued a statement saying he expected the Senate to approve the measure.

1 adjourn   

v.（使）休会，（使）休庭

参考例句：

• The motion to adjourn was carried.休会的提议通过了。
• I am afraid the court may not adjourn until three or even later.我担心法庭要到3点或更晚时才会休庭。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

4 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

5 exempted   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 他因视力不好而免服兵役。
• Her illness exempted her from the examination. 她因病而免试。

6 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。

7 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

8 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

9 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。