VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Weighing the First Year

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

President Barack Obama has begun his second year in office. The forty-fourth president, and first African-American president, was inaugurated last January twentieth.

BARACK OBAMA: "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America, they will be met."

President Obama answers a question in Elyria, Ohio, Friday

Those challenges included an economic downturn, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a promise to reform the health care system.

Congress quickly approved an economic recovery bill. Yet unemployment remains² high at ten percent. The Obama administration now faces the earthquake relief effort in Haiti and the threat of terrorism at home. There was a failed attempt to bomb a plane on its way to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day.

BARACK OBAMA: "As president, I have a solemn responsibility to protect our nation and our people. And when the system fails, it is my responsibility."

President Obama campaigned on a promise of "change we can believe in." His high public approval ratings have fallen in recent months. A poll by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut found Americans equally divided about his first year. Peter Brown works at the university.

PETER BROWN: "They like Obama personally. They think he is trustworthy and honest. They think he is a strong leader. They say they don't necessarily agree with him on the issues they are most concerned about. They wish he would spend more time on the economy. They don't like the health care bill."

The Senate and House of Representatives have each passed their own health care legislation. But there is no final bill. And the Democrats⁴ have a new problem they had not expected.

A newly elected senator is a Republican who opposes the legislation. Scott Brown won a seat in Massachusetts that had been held by Democrat³ Ted¹ Kennedy for almost fifty years.

But more importantly, Senate Democrats lost their sixtieth vote. Senators can threaten a bill with unlimited⁵ debate unless sixty senators vote to prevent it.

President Obama had campaigned for the Democratic candidate in Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts. Experts say one of the lessons is that even though the economy has improved, it demands more attention. David Wasserman from the Cook Political Report in Washington was a guest on VOA's "Encounter" program.

DAVID WASSERMAN: "I don't think President Obama and the Democrats were expecting to have to spend so much time on health care because it is dragging on. And in the eyes of a lot of Americans, this isn't really dealing⁶ with the economy. This isn't bringing back jobs."

President Obama with his wife, Michelle, and Chief Justice John Roberts after the oath of office

During his first year, President Obama angered conservatives who saw him as unwilling⁷ to compromise on issues like health reform. Yet some liberals saw him as too willing to compromise. They were disappointed with decisions like sending more troops to Afghanistan and not closing the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Many political experts are mixed in their opinions. But Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia says not to judge too much from the first year.

LARRY SABATO: "If you look back in history you will find that many presidents who were enormously popular in that first year became failed presidents over time. Other presidents who were not terribly popular in their first year and had lots of controversies⁸ served two full terms and went out of office in a reasonably positive way."

Congressional elections will be held in November, and Republican gains are likely. Smaller Democratic majorities could force the president to reach out to the opposition⁹ and to conservatives in his own party.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Mario Ritter.

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 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。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 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》

5 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

6 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。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

9 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。