voa标准英语2008-US Autoworkers Voice Frustrations, Suggestions o

As Congress and the Bush administration continued negotiations¹ on a $15 billion loan for U.S. auto² companies, a group of autoworkers traveled to Washington to draw attention to their concerns about the future of the American auto industry.
　

Autoworkers and UAW representatives

Members of the United Auto Workers and other labor³ unions appeared at a news conference on Capitol Hill Monday as lawmakers and the White House were negotiating details of a loan package for General Motors, Ford⁴ and Chrysler.

They came not only from Michigan, where the companies are based, but also from Indiana, Ohio, New York and other states where tens of thousands of Americans work directly in or contribute to automobile⁵ production.

All urged Congress and the Bush administration to approve the loan, which is now less than half of the $34 billion originally requested by the "Big Three" car companies.

But their main goal was to combat the assertion by auto industry executives and other critics that a large portion of the blame for the industry's inefficiencies and financial weakness can be placed on the shoulders of high cost union workers.
　

Frank Hammer, retired6 UAW autoworker from Detroit

Frank Hammer, a retired president of the United Auto Workers union, or UAW, Local 909 in Detroit, says now is the time for big solutions, not criticisms of workers.

"The reality is that our labor constitutes just eight percent of the price of a new car," he said. "We could work for free and it would not solve the crisis."

Tony Browning has worked for more than 34 years in a Chrysler plant in Sterling⁷ Heights, Michigan.

"People are giving the auto industry a bad reputation," he said. "They are saying we are lazy, we are overpaid and under worked. But that is far from the truth."
　

Michigan autoworker Tony Browning

The workers contrasted federal money that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are seeking with the hundreds of billions of dollars the government quickly came up with for banks and financial institutions.

Bill Alfred, President of UAW Local 235 in Michigan, says the government needs to help the U.S. auto industry survive the current financial storm.

"It's just ridiculous that the auto industry is getting tormented⁸ over getting a fraction of the money we have given Wall Street," he said. "And that was a blank check. It was [for Wall Street] a walk in, take the money, and walk out."

Wendy Thompson, a retired former president of UAW Local 235 in Michigan, says the federal government should provide oversight⁹ of the auto industry as it attempts to transform itself.
　

Wendy Thompson, retired UAW Local 235

Among her suggestions: retooling¹⁰ factories to focus on rebuilding America's transportation system.

"Remember World War II? Do you know your history? Auto plants transformed into making airplanes and other war products overnight," said Thompson. "Why can't we do this again? It's another crisis. Let's start making mass transportation; let's start doing light rail [and] speed trains. We can do that work; we're skilled workers; we have shown that we have the capabilities¹¹. Let us do that work."

Mark Deagle and Steven Waskul are auto industry workers in Michigan.

[If] you start closing these plants, you're not only going to affect them, you're going to affect our membership, you're going to affect the suppliers, you're going to affect a lot of Americans," Deagle said.
　

Steven Waskul, Michigan autoworker

"Nobody has mentioned rail cars that transport the vehicles throughout the country. Nobody has mentioned the car haulers. Nobody has mentioned all the people, the peripheral¹² people, who are involved in the auto industry," Waskul said.

When they received auto company restructuring proposals last week, U.S. lawmakers also heard from experts about the effect of potential bankruptcy¹³ by any or all of the Big Three companies - something a government loan is aimed at preventing.

David Friedman, Research Director for the Clean Vehicles Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the question is whether U.S. automakers can change.

"We need to acknowledge what we already know," he said. "The survival of the Detroit auto industry depends on their ability to deliver the products consumers need in a world of volatile¹⁴ oil prices and a changing climate."

Key points in auto company loan legislation include strong government oversight to ensure that companies implement¹⁵ restructuring plans.

Representative Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, says change will require significant sacrifices and compromise.

"There would be requirements that the various parties here, the stakeholders - whether they are the bond holders¹⁶ or the workers or the shareholders¹⁷ or the top rank employees - that all of them are going to have to make some kind of sacrifice in this," he said. "There will have to be contributions from all sides."

House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that if by early next year - in the early months of President-elect Barack Obama's administration - companies are not meeting conditions, they should not expect what she calls "an endless flow of money".

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 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。

7 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

8 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

9 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

10 retooling   

v.（给…）更换工具， （给…）更换机械设备( retool的现在分词 )；改组，革新

参考例句：

• The factory is retooling to start making the new line of cars. 工厂正在重新装备以便开始制造新系列车型。 来自辞典例句
• Among her suggestions: retooling factories to focus on rebuilding America's transportation system. 她的建议包括围绕重新建设美国交通系统这个重心来重组汽车工业。 来自互联网

11 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 peripheral   

adj.周边的，外围的

参考例句：

• We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
• The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。

13 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。

14 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

15 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

16 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

17 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任