VOA常速英语2008年-US Senate to Vote on Economic Stimulus

By Scott Stearns
White House
02 February 2008

U.S. senators vote in the coming week on an economic stimulus¹ plan that is more than $10 billion bigger than a deal backed by President Bush and the House of Representatives. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

Politicians in Washington all agree that the U.S. economy needs help. Higher fuel costs and a declining housing market have hurt consumers and business. Growth in the fourth quarter of last year was just 0.6 percent.

President Bush and bipartisan leaders in the House of Representatives worked out a plan for $146 billion in tax rebates² and business incentives³, including a $600 refund⁴ for many middle-income taxpayers⁵.

But senators want to add more than $10 billion to that plan. They will vote in the coming week on $500 refunds⁶ for twice as many taxpayers including wealthier Americans, disabled veterans, and senior citizens not included in the House plan.

Some Senate Democrats⁸ also want to extend unemployment benefits, food aid, and home heating assistance.

West Virginia Governor Democrat⁷ Joe Manchin used his party's weekly radio address Saturday to commend bipartisan efforts on a timely and temporary economic stimulus. But he also took a swipe at the Bush administration and its handling of the economy. 

"But we all know that a temporary fix is just that, temporary," he explained.  "Democrats across the country are committed to a more enduring challenge, retaining and creating the good jobs with benefits that our people deserve."

On Friday, the government reported that the U.S. economy lost jobs last month for the first time in more than four years.

President Bush, speaking to business leaders in Kansas City on Friday, said it is time for the Senate to take decisive action on the stimulus package.

"It's very important for the Senate to finish their work quickly, because the sooner we can get money into our consumers' hands the more likely it is that the economy will recover from this period of uncertainty," he said.

First lady Laura Bush delivered the president's Saturday radio address. She spoke⁹ about risk factors for heart disease, including smoking, lack of exercise, diabetes¹⁰, high blood pressure and cholesterol¹¹, family history, and being overweight. February is American Heart Month.

1 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。

2 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 refund   

v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款

参考例句：

• They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
• We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

6 refunds   

n.归还，偿还额，退款( refund的名词复数 )v.归还，退还( refund的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Tomorrow he would return them to the store and claim refunds. 明天他要把它们退还给商店并要求退款。 来自辞典例句
• The new method means that taxpayers get refunds much faster. 这种新办法意味着纳税人可以较快地领到退还款。 来自辞典例句

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 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》

9 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。

10 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

11 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。