VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Announces $75 Billion Mortgage Relief Pla

The U.S. housing industry, where experts believe the economic crisis began, is the target of President Barack Obama's latest initiative to strengthen the economy. Mr. Obama has unveiled a $75 billion plan to prevent as many as nine million Americans from losing their homes.
　
President Barack Obama speaking in Mesa, Arizona, 18 Feb 2009

President Obama made the announcement in the southwestern city of Phoenix¹, Arizona, one of the areas hardest hit by foreclosures.

"In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis," he said. "And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen, a crisis which is unraveling homeownership, the middle class, and the American Dream itself."

Mr. Obama introduced his housing plan one day after signing a $787 billion economic stimulus² package, which he says will create or save 3.5 million jobs over two years. He said the home mortgage crisis, the financial crisis and the broader economic crisis are interconnected.

Phoenix-area homeowner Tammy Woods agrees that mortgage problems can affect an entire community.

"This is not just my problem, because if I lose my home, it affects my neighbors, it affects my neighborhood, it definitely affects all of us," said Woods.

Moody's Economy.com says nearly 27 percent of America's 52 million homeowners with a home loan owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. The president's plan is aimed at helping³ borrowers in that predicament, and those who are in danger of foreclosure.

"But it will give millions of families resigned to financial ruin a chance to rebuild. It will prevent the worst consequences of this crisis from wreaking⁴ even greater havoc⁵ on the economy," the report said. "And by bringing down the foreclosure rate, it will help to shore up housing prices for everyone."

Also, the Treasury⁶ Department says it will double the size of its payments to the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government seized last fall. The government says it will absorb as much as $200 billion in losses at each company.

The Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that construction of new homes and applications for permits to build homes plunged⁷ to record lows in January.

1 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

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 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。

4 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

7 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。