VOA标准英语2010-Obama: Wall Street Reforms Still Urgently

President Obama records his Weekly Address for 24 Apr 2010

"And that is how, after two very difficult years, we will not only revive the economy, but help to rebuild it stronger than ever before," said President Barack Obama.
U.S. President Barack Obama says reforms are urgently needed in the financial industry, to prevent a repeat of the crisis that devastated¹ the nation's economy. The Senate is debating a financial overhaul² bill.

 

In his weekly address Saturday, President Obama says reforming the financial system is a necessary part of the country's economic recovery.

"After a recession that stole eight million jobs, this is going to take some time," he said. "And this will require that we continue to tackle the underlying³ problems that caused this turmoil⁴ in the first place.  In short, it is essential that we learn the lessons of this crisis, or we risk repeating it."

The U.S. Senate may debate financial reform legislation in the coming week.  The Senate Banking⁵ Committee on Wednesday passed a bill which would end taxpayer⁶ bailouts of big banks and protect consumers from abusive financial practices.

The House of Representatives approved similar legislation in December.

The president's radio and Internet address follows his Thursday speech near Wall Street in New York, in which he argued for new laws to protect consumers and hold financial firms accountable.

Mr. Obama says it is necessary to end taxpayer bailouts of private companies and make financial deals more transparent⁷. "That is how we will restore trust and confidence in our markets," he said. "That is how we will help to put an end to the cycles of boom and bust⁸ that we have seen.  And that is how, after two very difficult years, we will not only revive the economy, but help to rebuild it stronger than ever before."

In the opposition⁹ Republican Party's weekly address, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison says the Democrat-sponsored Senate bill would not end government bailouts, and Republicans want to continue negotiating.

"It is time for Democrats¹⁰ to put away the political playbook and simply say publicly what they are suggesting privately¹¹: that this bill still needs some work, that both parties should come together to do that work on behalf of the American people,"  she said.

While President Obama is promising¹² an end to government bailouts, he says those which have occurred over the past two years have helped prevent millions of people from losing their jobs.

Mr. Obama says the U.S. auto¹³ industry has added 45,000 jobs since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy¹⁴, and Chrysler has reported a profit for the first time since the economic crisis began.  GM says it will repay billions of dollars in U.S. and Canadian government loans five years ahead of schedule.

Also, the president mentioned Friday's U.S. Treasury¹⁵ Department announcement that the bailout of some U.S. industries will likely cost less than $90 billion, down from the original estimate of $500 billion.

 

1 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

4 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。

5 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

6 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

7 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

8 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 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》

11 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

14 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

15 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。