VOA慢速英语2013 IN THE NEWS - Barack Obama Begins 2nd Term as President

 

IN THE NEWS - Barack Obama Begins 2nd Term as President

新闻报道 - 奥巴马开始总统第二任期

From VOA Learning English, this is IN THE NEWS in Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

This week, Barack Obama began his second term as president of the United States. The public swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday at the Capitol building in Washington.

本周，奥巴马开始了美国总统第二个任期。公开宣誓就职仪式于周一在华盛顿国会大厦举行。

In a speech, Mr. Obama read from parts of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

在演讲中，奥巴马先生宣读了美国宪法和独立宣言的部分内容。

“What makes us exceptional, what makes us American is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

“使我们与众不同、使我们成为美国人的是我们对两个多世纪以前发表的宣言中所表述的理念的效忠，我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等。”

Officials estimated that over one million people gathered on Washington’s “National Mall” for the inaugural¹ ceremonies. Some came for the musical performances. But others wanted to hear how President Obama would define goals for the next four years. 

有关官员估计有超过100万人聚集在华盛顿国家广场参加就职仪式。有人是来看音乐表演，但也有人想要听听奥巴马如何明确未来四年的目标。

In his speech, Mr. Obama said he will make climate change one of his top goals. He said that failing to deal with the threat from rising temperatures would betray the world’s children. 

奥巴马在演讲中表示，他将把气候变化作为他的首要目标之一。他说，如果不解决气温不断上升的威胁将会愧对全世界的儿童。

Environmental groups welcomed the president’s desire to act on climate change. The Sierra Club called his comments ‘heartening.’ It said global warming is an urgent issue for the whole world. But many opponents of Mr. Obama’s policies disagree. They say it would cost too much for the American economy to move away from using oil and other fossil fuels.

环保组织对奥巴马的这一表态表示欢迎。塞拉俱乐部（Sierra Club）称其言论“令人振奋”。该俱乐部表示，全球变暖是整个世界亟待解决的一个问题。但许多奥巴马政策的反对者提出了异议。他们表示摆脱石油和其它化石燃料对美国经济的代价会非常巨大。

The president raised other issues of disagreement between the Republican and Democratic Parties. For example, he made it clear that now is the time to re-examine American immigration policies. The president predicted that some immigrants could one day become the country’s technological³ leaders.

奥巴马还提到了共和党和民主党之间的分歧等问题。他明确表示，现在是时候重新审视美国的移民政策。他预测一些移民可能有一天会成为美国的科技领导者。

After the speech, political leaders were quick to comment on the ceremonies. Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican, thought the event was great. 

演讲结束后，政治领袖们迅速对仪式进行了评论。共和党参议员约翰尼·艾萨克森（Johnny Isakson）认为这一仪式非常伟大。

"I thought it was a great program, an uplifting program. I thought the music was fantastic, the poem was fantastic. The president's speech was thoughtful. I thought it was another testament⁴ to our constitution and our democracy."

“我认为这是一个非常伟大、令人振奋的仪式。我认为音乐、诗歌非常美妙，奥巴马总统的讲话非常周到。我认为这是我们宪法和民主的再一次证明。”

Democratic Congressman⁵ John Conyers praised the inaugural address. He said he thinks President Obama will make his second term even more powerful than the first. 

民主党众议员约翰·科尼尔斯（John Conyers）对就职演讲大加称赞。他说，他认为奥巴马总统将会使自己的第二任期比首任更为强大。

Mr. Obama said that with 10 years of war coming to an end, and the economy recovering, now is the time for America to unite. But, Republican Senator John McCain found the speech lacking. He said it failed to improve cooperation between the two parties. Yet Senator Robert Casey, a Democrat², noted⁶ that inaugural addresses are important. 

奥巴马表示，随着十年的战争即将结束，以及经济开始复苏，现在美国是时候团结起来了。但共和党参议员约翰·麦凯恩（John McCain）认为奥巴马的演讲有所欠缺。他说，奥巴马的这次演讲未能改善两党之间的合作。然而民主党参议员罗伯特·凯西（Robert Casey）指出，就职演讲非常重要。

"I know there are cynics who say that speeches do not matter and nothing will cut through the cynicism and partisanship⁷. But I disagree. I think all of us at our core share some basic values as Americans. And we need to be reminded of it." 

“我知道有愤世嫉俗的人说，就职演讲并不重要，并不会改变犬儒主义和党派之争。但我不同??意这么说。我认为我们所有人共享一些美国人的基本价值观，我们需要谨记这点。”

Mr. Obama took the oath of office on two historic Bibles. One book had been used by President Abraham Lincoln in his 1861 inauguration⁸. The other Bible belonged to the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior. People across the United States observed the Martin Luther King federal holiday on Monday.

奥巴马把手放在两本历史悠久的圣经上宣誓就职。其中一本圣经是林肯总统1861年就职典礼时用过的，另一本圣经属于民权领袖马丁·路德·金。周一，美国各地的人们庆祝了马丁·路德·金联邦假日。

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 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。

7 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

8 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。