voa标准英语2008-Britain Prioritizes Economy in Legislative Plan

The British government presented its legislative¹ agenda to parliament Wednesday, and dealing² with the financial crisis and stabilizing³ the economy are the top priorities. It's the government's program, but, as every year, it is Queen Elizabeth II, who delivered the message in a very formal and elaborate ceremony. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

It's an age-old tradition, full of pomp and ceremony, as the Queen arrives in Parliament to address the House of Lords and Commons.
　

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II speaks from the throne in the House of Lords, during the State Opening of Parliament in London, 03 Dec 2008

The speech is drawn⁴ up by the government - the Queen delivers it, and thus marks the beginning of a new parliamentary session.

There were no surprises - the financial crisis and what to do about the slumping⁵ economy tops the legislative agenda.

"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons. My government's overriding⁶ priority is to ensure the stability of the British economy during the global economic downturn," said the Queen. "My government is committed to helping⁷ families and businesses through difficult times."

The government has already outlined proposals to try to re-energize the economy - including a cut in the national sales tax and tax breaks and incentives⁸ for low income families and small businesses.

And, Britain will host a summit of the G-20 group of industrialized and emerging economies in April, as the UK and governments around the world attempt to stem the economic downturn and stimulate⁹ their economies back into growth.

Announcing the government's legislative agenda, the Queen stated a number of proposals - from reforming the social welfare system and making the justice system more transparent¹⁰, to forging ahead with plans to eradicate¹¹ child poverty by the year 2020.

On foreign policy, it was very much a continuation of stated goals.

"My government will press for a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East, continued progress in Iraq and for effective measures to address concerns over Iran's nuclear program," said the Queen. "My government will work with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan for security, stability and prosperity."

After the annual address, the Queen, accompanied by her husband Prince Phillip, left the chamber¹² for the carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace.

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 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。

3 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

6 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

7 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。

8 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

12 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。