VOA慢速英语 2007 0920b

VOICE ONE:

This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. Today we tell about some important policy decisions during the first term of President George W. Bush.

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VOICE ONE:  

Republican George W. Bush defeated his Democratic Party opponent, Al Gore¹, in the presidential election of two thousand.  The election results were extremely close. Mister Gore disputed them.  Five suspense-filled weeks passed as several courts considered the voting issues. Finally, a decision by the United States Supreme² Court effectively settled the election.  George W. Bush was to be president.           

 
George W. Bush gives his inaugural³ speech at the Capitol in January 2001
Mister Bush gave his inaugural speech in January two thousand one to a politically divided nation. He called on Americans to care for and respect others. 

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion⁴ and character.  America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing⁵ and forgiveness."

VOICE TWO:

During his election campaign, Mister Bush had promised he would help social aid organizations linked to religious groups.  He established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives soon after his inauguration⁶.  Its goal was to help social agencies fight problems like homelessness and illegal drug use.

Critics argued that this would violate the separation of church and state required by the United States Constitution.  But Mister Bush said the agencies would provide shelter and food and not religious holy books.

VOICE ONE:

President Bush took several actions on the environment during his first term.  In March two thousand one, he withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol⁷.  Many nations had signed the treaty in nineteen ninety-seven in Kyoto, Japan.  This treaty developed from earlier international efforts to control climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol restricted the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that nations could release into the atmosphere.  The limitation was placed to reduce global warming, the increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface.  More than one hundred nations have approved the treaty.

But Mister Bush said the agreement was unfair.  He noted⁸ that China and India were not required to limit release of greenhouse gases.  The president believed the Kyoto Protocol requirements would harm American industry and the economy. Critics said Mister Bush's decision meant more damage to the environment.  They also said it set a bad example for the world.

Another environmental issue concerned exploring for oil and gas.  The president supported a measure for drilling in a protected wildlife area in the state of Alaska.  He said getting the resources from the state would reduce American dependence⁹ on foreign oil. Opponents disagreed.  They said the measure would destroy wildlife in some of America's most beautiful natural surroundings.  Congress did not approve the measure.

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VOICE TWO:                                            

 
President Bush and his wife, Laura
One of Mister Bush's major goals was improving America's public schools. In January two thousand two, he signed a law called the No Child Left Behind Act.

PRESIDENT BUSH: “And we owe the children of America a good education.  And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country.  As of this hour, America’s schools will be on a new path of reform, and a new path of results.‿/P>

The law increased the role of the federal government in guaranteeing quality public education for all children in the United States.  It had several goals: To help poor and minority students improve their performance. To provide choices for parents with students in low-performing schools. And to increase money for schools in low-income areas.  The law required all students in grades three through eight to be tested every year in reading and mathematics. It held schools responsible for the progress of their students.  

Some educators praised No Child Left Behind.  But many educators criticized the law.  They said teachers had to spend too much time preparing students for the tests.  They also said the law permitted students to leave failing schools instead of finding ways to improve those schools.  Critics also said not enough federal money was provided for the program.

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VOICE ONE: 

Another major piece of legislation dealt with health care for senior citizens.  President Bush wanted to extend Medicare, the nation's health care plan for people sixty-five and older.  In two thousand three he signed a law to help forty million older Americans buy medicines ordered by their doctors.  The program was expected to cost four hundred billion dollars.  It provided billions of dollars to private health insurance companies.

Supporters of the law said it would lead to better private insurance coverage¹⁰ for senior citizens.  Opponents said it would help health insurance and drug companies the most and might lead to the end of the Medicare system.  

VOICE TWO:

American law lets presidents decide some issues without Congressional action.  Mister Bush announced such an executive decision about scientific research.  He decided¹¹ to permit federal financing for research that uses existing groups of cells created from human embryos¹². It was the first time federal money would be used for such stem cell research.

Stem cells can grow into many different kinds of cells. For example, they can become cells of the heart, nerves or brain.  Scientists say such cells might in the future be used to treat diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile¹³ diabetes¹⁴.
                              
Mister Bush limited use of the cells, however.  He said taxpayers¹⁵' money could finance the research only if the embryos had already been destroyed. The president said more than sixty groups of these cells were available for research.  However, some scientists said these stem cells were in poor condition and could not be used for research.

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VOICE ONE:

 
Preparing to sign the tax cut bill in the White House East Room 
One of Mister Bush's major goals was reducing taxes for Americans.  In two thousand one, he signed a bill calling for more than one trillion dollars in tax reductions.  These cuts were to become effective over time.  The president said the economy would improve if people had more money to spend.  Democrats¹⁶ said big reductions would harm the economy instead of helping¹⁷ it. 

In two thousand three, Congress passed compromise tax measures.  They called for three hundred fifty billion dollars in tax reductions.  That was less than half of what the president had proposed. Most reductions went to investors¹⁸ in the stock market, individual taxpayers, couples and businesses.  The rest was to help the states.

VOICE TWO: 

In two thousand two, President Bush signed a law that increased punishments for dishonesty in business. The new law also established an independent group to oversee¹⁹ the accounting²⁰ industry.  That is the industry that investigates the financial records of companies. The action came after several major businesses failed. 
                                                                                            
For example, the Enron Corporation, once the leading American energy company, failed in two thousand one. It was one of the largest corporate²¹ bankruptcy²² claims in American history. Some Enron investors lost all their money in the failure.  Retired²³ employees lost monthly payments they needed to live on. Some top officials in the company had used dishonest accounting methods to hide financial problems from investors.   A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas, brought charges against former Enron chairman and chief executive officer Kenneth Lay and other officers. 

The collapse²⁴ of Enron was followed by a series of other corporate failures involving dishonest accounting methods.  For example, the international communications company WorldCom Incorporated also went bankrupt.  The government charged several company officials with wrongdoing. 

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VOICE ONE:

November second, two thousand four was Election Day. The public would vote on whether to support President Bush for another term in office.  Four years earlier, George W. Bush had been elected in one of the closest elections in history.  Now he would have another chance to test his popularity with the American people.

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VOICE TWO:

This program, THE MAKING OF A NATION, was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Jill Moss²⁵. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:      

And this is Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week when we tell about the presidential election of two thousand four.

1 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

4 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

13 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

14 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

15 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

16 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》

17 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。

18 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

19 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

20 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

21 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

22 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。

23 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

24 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。

25 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。