voa标准英语2008年-Congressional Democrats Vow Bipartisan Approach

Democratic leaders in Congress say they will use their strengthened majority to pursue bipartisan solutions to U.S. economic problems. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, Democrats¹ spoke² to reporters late Tuesday after finalizing³ party leadership positions on Capitol Hill.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (l), and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 18 Nov 2008

California Representative Nancy Pelosi, who House Democrats re-elected as Speaker, says Americans expect the Democratic-led Congress to tackle the difficult challenges facing the country, and work with a President Obama after he is inaugurated in January.

"That change brings with it tremendous responsibility," said Nancy Pelosi. "The American people have great expectations for what this Congress can do working with the great President-elect Barack Obama."

Pelosi said a new direction, the main theme of Democrats in the 2008 election campaign, will require bipartisanship and civility, as well as fiscal⁴ responsibility.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who also retained his position in the Democratic hierarchy⁵, echoed the remarks.

"We intend to work across the aisle⁶, with the Senate and with the President of the United States, to do what American voters wanted done, to make a change in America," said Steny Hoyer.

Congress has returned for a lame⁷ duck session, during which lawmakers attempt to complete unfinished work, and tackle other issues.

Hoyer earlier raised the possibility that the session might continue into December after the Thanksgiving holiday break, to accommodate work on legislation to help U.S. automakers.

Executives from General Motors, Ford⁹ and Chrysler pressed members of a Senate panel to approve billions of dollars to help them avert¹⁰ potential collapse.

But Pelosi said she doesn't see much likelihood of a December session, saying Congress will either have to pass an auto⁸ company assistance bill now or wait until lawmakers return to begin a new 112th congressional session, at which time they will also be working on a new economic stimulus¹² measure.

And any new government assistance to car companies, Pelosi adds, must come with strict conditions:

"We will put up enough money to infuse the industry with the liquidity¹³ to take it until March," she said. "By March we want to see a plan. If you want us to show you more money, you must show us your plan for how this industry will be viable¹⁴."
　

Representative Jim Clyburn - House Democratic Whip, 18 Nov 2008

Elsewhere in the House Democratic leadership, South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, now arguably the most influential¹⁵ African-American lawmaker in Congress, retains his number three post as Democratic Whip.

"We now have an expanded majority and we are now faced with some significant challenges," said Jim Clyburn. "This caucus¹⁶ will work with Barack Obama to manage some of the most significant crises our country has ever faced."

Connecticut Representative John Larson will head the House Democratic Caucus, replacing Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman¹⁷ and former Clinton administration aide who will be chief of staff to Mr.Obama when he takes office in January.

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

6 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

7 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

8 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。

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

11 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。

12 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

13 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

14 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

15 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

16 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

17 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。