voa标准英语2008-Obama: Economic Stimulus Plan Crucial

President-elect Barack Obama seized on more gloomy economic news Tuesday to prod¹ Congress into passing an economic stimulus² plan early in the New Year.
　

President-elect Barack Obama introduces Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan during a news conference in Chicago, 16 Dec 2008

Mr. Obama was in Chicago introducing his choice for Secretary of Education when he was asked about the U.S. economy.

New figures show a record drop in consumer prices and a record decline in the number of new housing starts last month, adding further gloom to an already dim economic picture.

Mr. Obama said the latest economic figures make it even more vital that Congress pass an economic stimulus and jobs plan once he takes office in January.

"We are running out of the traditional ammunition³ that is used in a recession, which is to lower interest rates," he said. "They are getting to be about as low as they can go. And although the Fed is still going to have more tools available to it, it is critical that the other branches of government step up, and that is why the economic recovery plan is so absolutely critical."

The president-elect has proposed a massive spending plan that he says would create 2.5 million jobs and would revitalize the economy.

But Mr. Obama cautioned that even if Congress quickly approves a stimulus plan early next year, turning the economy around will take some time and will require patience on the part of the American people.

"We are going through the toughest time economically since the Great Depression, and it's going to be tough and we are going to have to work through a lot of these difficulties, these structural⁴ difficulties, that built up over many decades," he said.

Mr. Obama announced that he is nominating Chicago school system chief Arne Duncan to be his Secretary of Education.

Mr. Obama said Duncan has hands-on experience with school reform and is not beholden to one political ideology⁵ as he goes about the complicated task of improving schools and student performance around the country.

Duncan said no issue is more pressing than education, which he called the civil rights issue of this generation.

"Our children have just one chance to get a quality education, and they need and deserve the absolute best," he said. "While there are no simple answers, I know from experience that when you focus on basics like reading and math, and when you embrace innovative⁶ new approaches and when you create a professional climate to attract great teachers, you can create great schools."

The current Education secretary, Margaret Spellings, has praised Duncan as a visionary leader and a great choice to run the department.

Mr. Obama has filled most of his cabinet positions and expects to announce more appointments before he goes on vacation to Hawaii over the Christmas holiday.

1 prod   

vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励

参考例句：

• The crisis will prod them to act.那个危机将刺激他们行动。
• I shall have to prod him to pay me what he owes.我将不得不催促他把欠我的钱还给我。

2 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

3 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

4 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

6 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。