VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Tours Auto Plants to Spotlight I

President Barack Obama steps out of a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee during his tour the Jefferson North Chrysler Plant in Detroit, Friday, July 30, 2010.

President Barack Obama visited two automobile² manufacturing plants near Detroit, Michigan, to spotlight³ progress made in helping⁴ the U.S. auto¹ industry recover from near collapse⁵. 

From the brink⁶ of collapse, when President Obama took office and forced the government to step in to support General Motors and Chrysler, the auto industry has made steady progress.

The administration points to statistics showing that after huge job losses linked to the U.S. financial crisis, auto industry job growth is on track to be the strongest in more than a decade, adding 55,000 jobs since the middle of 2009.

The president was welcomed to the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant, where the car company employs just over 2,800 workers.

Rather than simply bailing⁷ out auto companies, or doing nothing to hasten their complete collapse, Mr. Obama said he chose to give workers, management and unions the chance to reorganize and be more competitive. "I placed that faith in you and all of America's auto workers, and you have vindicated⁸ that belief.  The fact that we're standing⁹ in this magnificent factory today is a testament¹⁰ to the decisions we made and the sacrifices that you and countless¹¹ stakeholders across this industry and this country were willing to make," he said.

Introducing the president was Leah Soehartono, a 42-year-old auto insurance accountant who said she went from being unemployed¹² for two years to obtaining a job with Chrysler. "I am confident that the economy is improving and that the success I have achieved is obtainable and possible for others to achieve in these hard economic times," he said.

Later, the president toured the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, which is producing the Chevrolet Volt¹³, a gasoline-electric vehicle.

With a price of $41,000 per car, it remains¹⁴ to be seen whether Americans will choose to purchase the Volt over offerings by other car-makers, such as Nissan's all-electric vehicle, the 'Leaf'.

Before the president's trip, Ron Bloom, senior advisor¹⁵ to Treasury¹⁶ Secretary Timothy Geithner, told reporters at the White House that the government, with holds a 61 percent share of General Motors, has refused to get involved in pricing decisions. "I'm not going to get into a debate about whether General Motors, on this particular matter, has the correct business strategy.  There are dozens and dozens of business decisions they make every day.  They believe that people will buy this car in the sufficient number that they are manufacturing," he said.

President Obama's auto plant visits in Detroit, and another next week to a Ford¹⁷ company plant in Chicago, have a dual¹⁸ purpose. 

They are pep talks for an industry critical to economic recovery, and also platforms the president uses as he ramps¹⁹ up campaigning for Democrats²⁰ in Congress ahead of the November mid-term congressional election.

In his remarks on Friday, Mr. Obama pointed²¹ to suggestions by those he called "naysayers" and the "just say no crowd" -- a reference to some opposition²² Republicans who asserted that auto companies should be allowed to fail. "They said we should just walk away and let those jobs go.  I wish they were standing here today.  I wish they could see what I am seeing in this plant and talk to the workers who are here taking pride in building a world-class vehicle.  I don't think they would be willing to look you in the eye and see you were a bad investment," he said.

While Mr. Obama said more work remains to bring the auto industry back, he also had some blunt talk for auto workers in Detroit, saying that while the industry is growing stronger, many jobs that were lost will not return.

To address that, the administration is focusing attention on its efforts to switch the nation to clean energy and the job growth it says would come with this, including training for unemployed auto workers.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

7 bailing   

（凿井时用吊桶）排水

参考例句：

• Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and main. 两个人的口水只管喷泉似地朝外涌，两个抽水机全力以赴往外抽水。
• The mechanical sand-bailing technology makes sand-washing operation more efficient. 介绍了机械捞砂的结构装置及工作原理，提出了现场操作注意事项。

8 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

11 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

12 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

13 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 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。

16 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。

17 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

18 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

19 ramps   

resources allocation and multiproject scheduling 资源分配和多项目的行程安排

参考例句：

• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。
• He has the upper floor and ramps are fitted everywhere for his convenience. 他住在上面一层，为了他的方便着想，到处设有坡道。

20 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》

21 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

22 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。