VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Prepares to Sign Stimulus Bill, Propose H

U.S. President Barack Obama keeps the focus squarely on the troubled American economy this week as he signs a massive stimulus¹ package into law, and announces steps to help the housing market.

The almost $790-billion stimulus bill is the biggest economic package ever passed by Congress.
　
Senior advisor² David Axelrod (File)

The president's top White House advisor, David Axelrod, says its size befits the problem. He predicts the stimulus package will have an impact quickly. But he warns it will be difficult to undue³ all the economic damage that has already been done.

"As you know, the package will help fund infrastructure⁴ programs and other programs that are ready to go around the country," he said. "But it is going to take time for that to show up in the statistics."

Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, Axelrod said it is necessary to act aggressively to keep the situation from getting much worse.

"We are in the worst recession since World War II," he added. "And it took us a long time to get into this mess. It is going to take us a while to get out of it."

The president is going outside Washington to sign the stimulus bill into law.

Instead of a ceremony at the White House attended by politicians and dignitaries, Mr. Obama will put pen to paper on Tuesday in Denver, Colorado - the same city where he accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination⁵ in August.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the choice of Denver shows how important it is for the president to hear from people outside the nation's capital.

"He wants to get out of Washington and show people all across America the benefits of what is inside this economic recovery and reinvestment plan," said Gibbs.

Gibbs told the CBS program Face the Nation that the president will travel from Denver to Phoenix⁶, Arizona where he will unveil his proposal to deal with the home mortgage foreclosure crisis.

It is the mess in the housing market that is widely regarded as the trigger behind the current economic recession. Banks put up millions of dollars in risky⁷ mortgage loans to home buyers who later found they could not keep up with the payments. Families lost their homes, and banks tightened⁸ credit, making it more difficult for others to borrow money.

Gibbs said the president will continue to reach out to Republicans as the administration puts together the details of the housing proposal. This, despite the fact the stimulus package got no Republican votes in the House of Representatives and only three in the Senate.

"He is going to continue to reach out to Republicans and he is hopeful Republicans will start to reach back," said Gibbs.

But Republicans are still angry over the stimulus package, which they say was rammed⁹ through Congress by the White House and the Democratic majority in the legislature.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told ABC's This Week the stimulus bill failed the bipartisanship test.

"There is nothing about this process that has been bipartisan. This is not change you can believe in," said Graham.

But Graham said he still hopes the two sides can come together when the president's housing proposal hits Capitol Hill.

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 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

6 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

9 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》