美国人继续关注医改网站

 　　WASHINGTON — This week will bring a renewed focus on the flawed U.S. government website where Americans are supposed to sign up for private health care insurance. The so-called “Obamacare” website is apparently¹ functioning better, but far from perfectly², after the November 30 deadline for major improvements promised by the administration.

　　Two months after healthcare.gov’s unveiling, the problem-plagued website remains³ a work in progress despite President Barack Obama’s assurances weeks ago.

　　“By the end of this month we anticipate that it is going to be working the way it is supposed to,” he said.

　　The Affordable⁴ Care Act’s troubled rollout has been a major embarrassment⁵ for an administration that had been regarded as technologically-savvy.

　　“There is no question the rollout on the Affordable Care Act was much tougher than we expected," Obama said. "But I want everybody here to understand: I amgoing to see this through.”

　　Obama’s approval ratings have sunk in recent weeks, and congressional Republicans, who opposed Obamacare from the start, have been energized⁶.

　　“I do not believe you can fix this law to lower the cost and increase access [to health care]," said Representative Kevin McCarthy. "We have to scrap⁷ it and start anew.”

　　“I do not think Obamacare has failed,” said Democratic lawmakers like Steny Hoyer, who continue to defend the law. “Access to Obamacare has been a failure at this point in time. And it needs to be fixed⁸. So from that standpoint, the substance of Obamacare has yet to be tested. And to the extent it has been tested, it has been a success for millions of people.”

　　The House of Representatives gets back to work this week after a Thanksgiving break, the Senate next week. Lawmakers have until the middle of the month to agree on a federal budget. Spending authority expires in January, and the United States risks another partial government shutdown unless it is extended.

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 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。

4 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

5 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

6 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

7 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

8 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。