VOA标准英语2011--US Postal Service on 'Brink of Default'

US Postal¹ Service on 'Brink² of Default'

美国邮政濒临破产边缘
One of America's oldest institutions, the U.S. Postal Service, is teetering on the edge of default and must be radically⁴ restructured. That, according to the postmaster general, who spoke⁵ on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
The mail service Americans have known for generations is losing billions of dollars a year, as handwritten communication has all but disappeared - replaced by emails, text messages, and social-media - and billing and other commercial transactions are increasingly conducted over the Internet.
由于书信这种通信方式几乎已经消失，被电子邮件，短信和社交媒体等取代，收费和其他商业交易越来越多的通过互联网进行，美国几代人都非常熟悉的邮政服务每年损失数十亿美元。
The changing technological⁶ landscape has left the regular mail service, what many Americans now refer to as "snail⁷ mail," in dire⁸ financial straits. U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
不断进步的科技使常规的邮件服务——许多美国人将其称作“蜗牛邮件”——陷入严重的财政危机。美国邮政总局局长帕特里克·多纳霍(Patrick-Donahoe)在参议院国土安全及政府事务委员会证实了这一点。
"The Postal Service is at the brink of default," said Donahoe. "Without the enactment¹⁰ of comprehensive legislation by September 30, the Postal Service will default on a mandated¹¹ $5.5 billion payment to the Treasury¹² to pre-fund retirement¹³ retiree health benefits. Our situation is urgent."
多纳霍：“邮政服务已经濒临破产边缘。如果在9月30日之前不制定出综合的立法，邮政服务将拖欠应付给财政部的55亿美元退休人员健康福利资金。形势非常紧急。”
The Postal Service is seeking congressional authorization¹⁴ to cut costs and curtail¹⁵ services, including eliminating hundreds of thousands of postal jobs, changing health care and retirement programs for postal workers, consolidating¹⁶ post offices, and ending Saturday mail delivery across the country.
邮政服务正在寻求国会授权削减成本，缩减服务，包括裁减数十万邮政工作岗位，改变邮政工作人员的卫生保健和退休项目，加强邮局工作效率，在全国范围内停止周六的邮件递送服务。
"The Postal Service requires radical³ changes to its business model if it to remain viable¹⁷ into the future," added Donahoe. "The Postal Service is in a crisis today because it operates with a restricted business model. As a self-financing entity¹⁸ that depends on the sale of postage for its revenues, the Postal Service requires the ability to operate more as a business does."
“如果未来想要生存下去，邮政服务的商业模式需要进行彻底的变革。邮政服务陷入危机是由于商业模式受到限制。邮政服务是自筹资金的实体，依靠邮资来获得收益。邮政服务需要进行更多商业活动。”
Fighting the proposed changes is the American Postal Workers Union, whose president, Cliff Guffey, has blasted proposed changes as a "reckless assault on the Postal Service and its employees." He has also said that "crushing postal workers and slashing¹⁹ service will not solve the Postal Service's financial crisis."
美国邮政工人联盟反对进行变革。该联盟主席Cliff Guffey抨击进行变革是“对邮政服务和雇员鲁莽的侮辱。”他还说，“裁减邮政工人和削减服务不能解决邮政服务的财政危机。”
But change is needed, according to the committee's chairman, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
但是该委员会主席，康乃迪克州参议员Joe Lieberman认为需要进行改革。
"We must act quickly to prevent a Postal Service collapse²⁰, and enact⁹ a bold plan to secure its future," said Lieberman. "The U.S. Postal Service is not an 18th Century relic²¹. It is a great 21st Century national asset. But times are changing rapidly now, and so too must the Postal Service if it is to survive."
“我们必须迅速采取行动，避免邮政服务破产，制定大胆的计划来确保邮政服务未来能够起死回生。美国邮政服务并不是18世纪的遗迹，而是21世纪的国有资产。但是时代正在迅速发生变化，所以，如果邮政服务想要生存下去，也必须进行变革。”
The U.S. Postal Service is a semi-autonomous federal entity, mandated by law to be revenue neutral. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have put forth²² proposals to reform it and ensure its solvency²³.
美国邮政服务是半自治的联邦企业，由法律授权其收益中性。民主党和共和党的立法者都提出了对邮政进行改革，确保其偿付能力的提议。
Americans learn of the Postal Service from an early age. Every year before Christmas, it receives an avalanche²⁴ of letters from youngsters addressed to Santa Claus. It remains²⁵ the preferred means to send greeting cards, wedding invitations, and other personalized or formal communication, as well as magazines and other periodicals and printed advertisements. Despite reduced mail flow, the Postal Service continues to deliver more than half a billion pieces of mail a day.
美国人很早就了解邮政服务。每年圣诞节前，邮政服务都会收到许多年轻人寄给圣诞老人的信。邮政服务仍然是寄送卡片，婚礼请柬和其他个人或正式的通信，以及杂志，其他期刊和印刷的广告的最佳方式。尽管信件流量缩减，邮政服务每天仍然寄送超过5000万份邮件。

1 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

2 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。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

5 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。

6 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

7 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

8 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

9 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

10 enactment   

n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过

参考例句：

• Enactment refers to action.演出指行为的表演。
• We support the call for the enactment of a Bill of Rights.我们支持要求通过《权利法案》的呼声。

11 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

12 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。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

14 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

15 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

16 consolidating   

v.（使）巩固， （使）加强( consolidate的现在分词 )；（使）合并

参考例句：

• These measures are meant for consolidating the system of basic medical care. 这些举措旨在夯实基层医疗体系，让老百姓看大病不必出远门。 来自互联网
• We are consolidating the Chinese and English versions of our homepage. 我们将为您提供中英文版本一起的主页。 来自互联网

17 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

18 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

19 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

20 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。

21 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

22 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

23 solvency   

n.偿付能力，溶解力

参考例句：

• Fears about the solvency of the banks precipitated the great economic crash.对银行偿付能力出现恐慌更加速了经济的崩溃。
• Their targets,including profitability ratios,solvency ratios,asset management ratios.其指标包括盈利比率、偿债能力比率、资产管理比率。

24 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

25 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。