VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Wants Economic Stimulus Passed Soon

.S. President Barack Obama says the country's economic crisis demands that Congress act soon on his economic stimulus¹ plan. Mr. Obama met Friday with top Democratic and Republican lawmakers at the White House.
　
President Barack Obama speaks to reporters during a meeting about the economy with Congressional leaders, 23 Jan 2009

As the meeting began, President Obama acknowledged that some Republicans on Capitol Hill dislike parts of his economic stimulus proposal, estimated at $825 billion.

"I know that it is a heavy lift to do something as substantial as we're doing right now," he said. "I recognize that there are still some differences around the table and between the administration and members of Congress about particular details on the plan."

But the president said the severity of the nation's economic problem requires quick action.

"What I think unifies³ this group is a recognition that we are experiencing a unprecedented⁴, perhaps, economic crisis that has to be dealt with, and dealt with rapidly," he said.

Mr. Obama has said he wants Congress to pass an economic stimulus plan by mid-February. He and the lawmakers at the meeting all indicated that they believe that goal will be met.
　
House Minority Leader John Boehner, second from left, speaks to reporters outside the White House 23 Jan. 2009

Afterward⁵, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, Minority Leader John Boehner, said the meeting went well, and that Mr. Obama had listened to the Republicans' concerns, especially about the version of the bill being debated in the House.

"It does not spend out very quickly. It is almost too late," he said. "And we have concerns about the size of the package."

The Senate is considering economic stimulus proposals totaling $755 billion. The Senate plan would include tax cuts for individuals and businesses, bonus payments for most retirees, tax credits to help pay for college, and tax breaks to promote renewable energy.

The Senate's top Democrat², Majority Leader Harry⁶ Reid, said everyone at the meeting understood the urgency of the situation.

"There was not a single member of Congress, or anyone in that room, that did not agree that we have an economic problem in the country, lots of economic difficulties," he said. "But at the conclusion of the meeting, there was not a single person who felt we could not work our way out of the problems we had."

Mr. Obama also said Friday that any legislation governing the use of an additional $350 billion in financial industry bailout money must include new measures to ensure accountability and transparency.

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 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。

3 unifies   

使联合( unify的第三人称单数 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• Team-Based Concurrent Engineering Unifies your design team and aids complex debug efforts. 以团队为基础的并行工程使你的设计团队融为一体并协助复杂的调试。
• He saw God's complete moral excellence that unifies His attributes. 他看见上帝完美的道德贯穿着祂所有的属性。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。