2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Asks Congress to Give His Iraq War Plan a

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, D.C.
24 January 2007
 
watch report on the State of the Union 

President Bush is urging the U.S. Congress - now dominated by his political opponents - to give his new Iraq war plan a chance to succeed.  In his State of the Union address Tuesday night here in Washington, Mr. Bush offered new proposals on energy, healthcare and immigration, and he reviewed U.S. policies on major international issues.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky looks at the president's annual report to Congress and the rich political ceremony that accompanies the speech.

 
President Bush delivering his State of the Union address
President Bush received a warm welcome at a joint¹ session of Congress, now controlled by the opposition² Democratic Party.  Recognizing the new political reality, Mr. Bush noted³ that lawmakers and the administration can, nonetheless, work together to achieve - as he put it - "great things for Americans."  This includes balancing the federal budget without raising taxes.

"What we need to do is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C.  We set a goal of cutting the deficit⁴ in half by 2009 - and met that goal three years ahead of schedule.  Now let us take the next step," said the president.

Mr. Bush says he will submit a budget that would eliminate the U.S. federal deficit within five years.  At the same time, he called for a spending increase for education to provide special help for children who are struggling.

"We can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by strengthening math and science skills."

Mr. Bush called for a combination of public and private measures to make healthcare affordable⁵ for all Americans.  These include tax deductions⁶ for lower income groups, and use of public funds to encourage private health savings⁷ accounts.

 
 
The president said energy diversification⁸ is of vital importance to America, which is now vulnerable to supply disruptions by hostile forces abroad.  Here too, he urged a number of steps - greater use of hybrid⁹ vehicles, ethanol fuel, solar and wind energy, and clean, safe nuclear power.

On an issue as much domestic as foreign, the president said the United States must prevent illegal immigration, without sacrificing the country's tradition of welcoming and assimilating legal arrivals.

Looking abroad, he called for a democratic Palestinian state and a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.  "And we will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus, and Burma - and continue to awaken¹⁰ the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur," the president said to the pack chamber¹¹.

The president said 2006 was a year when extremists struck back against a trend toward liberty in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq.  Facing a Congress where most lawmakers now oppose his call for a troop increase in Iraq, Mr. Bush acknowledged everyone's desire to end the war.

"Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk.  Ladies and gentlemen:  On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle.  So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory."

 
Senator Jim Webb
In a response from the opposition Democrats¹², Virginia Senator Jim Webb accused Mr. Bush of going recklessly into the Iraq war.  Webb said the conflict has damaged America's reputation and hurt the war against terror.  He also called for a new direction in Iraq.

"Not a precipitous withdrawal¹³ that ignores the possibility of further chaos,” said the senator. “But an immediate¹⁴ shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy¹⁵, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq."

Senator Webb supported Mr. Bush's calls for energy independence, improved education and affordable healthcare.  But he disputed the president's view of the economy, saying American corporations and elites¹⁶ are becoming wealthier at the expense of the middle class.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 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。

3 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。

4 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

5 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。

6 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 diversification   

n.变化，多样化；多种经营

参考例句：

• The seminar was to discuss diversification of agriculture. 该研讨会讨论的是农业多种经营。 来自辞典例句
• Firm diversification is increasingly achieved by the means of takeover and merger. 通过接管和兼并，厂商经营范围日益多样化。 来自辞典例句

9 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

10 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

11 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

12 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》

13 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

16 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。