VOA标准英语2008年-Former Vice President Gore Issues US 10 Year El

Former Vice¹ President Al Gore² is challenging the United States to produce all of its electricity through wind power, solar power and other environmentally friendly sources within 10 years. Gore said the transition would not only help resolve America's current energy and economic problems, but would also improve U.S. national security by reducing dependence³ on foreign oil. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
　
Al Gore outlines his vision for the future of U.S. energy needs at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., 17 Jul 2008

Al Gore received a rock star welcome at an energy conference in Washington, where he issued a challenge to the country.

"So today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean, carbon-free sources within 10 years," he said.

Called an alarmist by some critics, Gore has made global climate change his signature issue, and his efforts won him a Nobel Prize. He admitted that weaning Americans off fossil fuels would require placing a carbon tax on burning oil and coal, which his plan would offset⁴ with a reduction in payroll⁵ taxes. But Gore said soaring gasoline prices and the current economic turmoil⁶ have created a new political environment where Americans are hungry for change.

"I do not remember a time in our country when so many things seem to be going so wrong simultaneously," he said. "Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, people are hurting. Gasoline prices are increasing dramatically and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced, home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile⁷ companies, other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure."

Gore called on all Americans to pull together, citing the kind of national effort that made it possible for Neil Armstrong to walk on the moon just eight years after former President John F. Kennedy issued that challenge. He said both presidential candidates, his fellow Democrat⁸ Barack Obama and the presumptive Republican nominee⁹ John McCain are way ahead of most politicians in the fight against global climate change.

But Gore did criticize President Bush's proposal to resume offshore¹⁰ oil drilling as a way to address the current energy crisis.

"It is only a truly dysfunctional system that would buy into the perverse¹¹ logic¹² that the short-term answer to high gasoline prices is drilling for oil 10 years from now in areas that should be protected," he said.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama issued a statement after the speech, saying he strongly agrees with Gore that the U.S. cannot drill its way to energy independence, but must boost investments in renewable sources of energy. Obama said it is a strategy that will create millions of new jobs and leave American children with a cleaner and safer world.

　

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

5 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 perverse   

adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的

参考例句：

• It would be perverse to stop this healthy trend.阻止这种健康发展的趋势是没有道理的。
• She gets a perverse satisfaction from making other people embarrassed.她有一种不正常的心态，以使别人难堪来取乐。

12 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。