VOA常速英语2008年-Bush: Stimulus Plan Will Help US Economy

By Scott Stearns
White House
26 March 2008

President Bush says he is confident tax incentives¹ and tax rebates² will make the U.S. economy "stronger than ever before."  VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the president and Congress agreed on a temporary stimulus³ plan last month after rising energy prices and falling property values slowed economic growth.

President Bush says the government has taken decisive action to ease the pains of a slowing economy by agreeing to tax incentives for businesses and tax rebates for more than 130 million households.

"I fully⁴ recognize that people are concerned about our economy, but they must understand that this package has yet to fully kick in yet," he said.  "We have taken action, but it is going to take awhile for the economy to feel the effects of this good law that I have signed."

Mr. Bush spoke⁵ to reporters at a printing plant in the state of Virginia.  The visit was meant to highlight tax incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment this year.

"Small business owners are dreamers and doers," he added.  "And we want to watch them and help them expand, because as they expand, more and more people find work.  We are in a rough patch right now in our economy, but I am confident that in the long term we will come out stronger than ever before."

Two government reports show further evidence of a slowing economy.  The Commerce Department said sales of newly built homes last month fell to the lowest level in 13 years.  The median price of homes sold was down nearly three percent from a year earlier.

The number of unsold homes on the market held steady from January, creating the biggest inventory⁶ of residential⁷ property in more than 26 years.  That is partly the result of banks trying to resell homes they have foreclosed on because owners could not make higher payments on adjustable-rate mortgages.

A separate government report showed a second straight month of declining U.S. manufacturing activity as orders for items intended to last more than three years dropped 1.7 percent.  Demand for manufacturing equipment fell more than 13 percent, the largest drop on record.

Consumer confidence is also down.  A regular survey of 5,000 American households found consumer confidence in the economy at a five-year low.  Expectations for future business conditions, jobs and income are at a 35-year low.

A public-opinion poll this month by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal found that two-thirds of Americans disapprove⁸ of the president's handling of the economy.  The economy has now replaced the war in Iraq as the number-one issue for voters before the November presidential election.

1 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

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 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

7 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

8 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。