VOA标准英语2010-Anti-Tax Tea Party Tour Comes to Washingt

The grassroots cause known as the Tea Party movement has brought its demands for lower taxes and smaller government to Washington.  The Tea Party rally in Washington was the final stop on a nearly three-week national tour.

 

After stops in 48 cities in 23 states, the Tea Party Express rolled to a stop just blocks from the White House.

The Washington rally coincided with tax deadline day in the United States, the day Americans must file their income tax returns with the government.

Tea Party Express organizer Amy Kremer addressed a crowd of several thousand people on Pennsylvania Avenue and predicted the movement would bring change to Washington in November's midterm congressional elections.

"We have a message for them," said Ms. Kremer.  "They may not listen to us now, but I guarantee you they will listen to us in November when we vote the bums¹ out!"

Tea Party supporters want to cut taxes, government spending and the federal budget deficit².  They also oppose President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders, and many want to repeal³ the recently-passed health care reform law.

Congressional Republicans who spoke⁴ at the rally eagerly welcomed Tea Party supporters.

"Thanks for coming to the Devil's city to help us do the Lord's work!" said Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Republican from Georgia. 

Chambliss and other Republicans hope to tap the energy of the Tea Party movement to sweep them to victory over Democrats⁵ in the congressional midterm elections.

"And that in November we turn out in record numbers to show this administration that we are serious about spending, that we are serious about tax reform and that we are serious about bringing common sense back to the United States of America," added Senator Chambliss.

The Washington rally drew Tea Party supporters from across the country including Harlow Hansen from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"I am here to protest what the government is doing to us, taking our freedoms away, spending way too much money, ramming⁶ these things down the throat of the people without their consent," said Hasen.

But not everyone on hand welcomed the Tea Party Express.  A lawyer from nearby Maryland, who did not want to give his name, engaged in an impromptu⁷ debate with Tea Party supporters and later expressed concern about some of their rhetoric⁸.

"I just do not get what makes the Tea Party tick," he said.  "I do not understand it.  They think they are Americans, they think they are upholding the Constitution, and they are literally⁹ suggesting that violent acts be undertaken against the government."

A new New York Times-CBS News poll found that Tea Party followers¹⁰ tend to be white, male, older than 45, conservative in outlook and usually vote Republican.  The Times poll found that 18 percent of Americans now identify themselves as Tea Party supporters.  Among them, 90 percent disapprove¹¹ of President Obama and roughly the same percentage believes that Mr. Obama is moving the country toward socialism.

In addition to Washington, numerous Tea Party anti-tax rallies were held around the country Thursday.

The Tea Party movement takes its name and inspiration from the Boston Tea Party of 1773 when American colonists¹² dumped tea into Boston harbor to protest taxes imposed by ruling Britain.

 

1 bums   

n. 游荡者，流浪汉，懒鬼，闹饮，屁股 adj. 没有价值的，不灵光的，不合理的 vt. 令人失望，乞讨 vi. 混日子，以乞讨为生

参考例句：

• The other guys are considered'sick" or "bums". 其他的人则被看成是“病态”或“废物”。
• You'll never amount to anything, you good-for-nothing bums! 这班没出息的东西，一辈子也不会成器。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

4 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。

5 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》

6 ramming   

n.打结炉底v.夯实（土等）( ram的现在分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• They are ramming earth down. 他们在夯实泥土。 来自辞典例句
• Father keeps ramming it down my throat that I should become a doctor. 父亲一直逼我当医生。 来自辞典例句

7 impromptu   

adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地)

参考例句：

• The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.这一宣布是在机场举行的临时新闻发布会上作出的。
• The children put on an impromptu concert for the visitors.孩子们为来访者即兴献上了一场音乐会。

8 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

11 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

12 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》