VOA标准英语 Obama Travels with Strong Support at Home

President Barack Obama is making his debut¹ on the world stage this week and the trip comes at a time when the president continues to enjoy generally strong support at home.
　
U.S. President Barack Obama

As world leaders take their measure of the new American president, they will surely take into account what appears to be strong domestic support for Mr. Obama.

Recent public opinion polls show the president's approval rating generally above 60 percent, down only slightly from the time of his inauguration² in January.

The latest national survey by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut shows Mr. Obama's approval rating at 58 percent, with 31 percent disapproving³.

Peter Brown is with the Quinnipiac Polling Institute.

"Now the question is how that number will fare as time goes on, especially if the economy doesn't recover quickly," Brown said. "But at this point, Americans are willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt, and you can see it through a number of the questions we asked."

There is no question that fixing the economy remains⁴ the president's top priority. It is a theme that Mr. Obama has been quick to emphasize on his trip overseas as well.

"We have to do what is necessary to restore growth and to pursue the reforms that can stabilize⁵ our financial system well into the future," Mr. Obama said.

During last year's presidential campaign, Mr. Obama gained a reputation for being a persuasive⁶ and gifted speaker.

It is a talent he has brought to bear as president, says Republican Ken⁷ Duberstein, a former chief of staff for President Ronald Reagan.

"You have seen him continue to travel all over America, you have seen him hold town hall meetings, and you have seen him do an awful lot of television and radio," Duberstein said. "That is fundamentally without any filters - speak directly to the American people and continue to get their support and also their patience."

But opposition⁸ Republicans are trying to get their message out as well, especially their objections to the administration's massive budget plan.

Paul Ryan is a Republican Representative from Wisconsin:

"We believe that the president's budget makes our fiscal⁹ crisis much, much worse," Ryan said. "Rather than getting spending under control, it sends spending out of control."

But so far, the Republican arguments seem to be winning over only fellow Republicans, says pollster Peter Brown.

"Only slightly more than one in four voters have a positive or favorable opinion of the Republican Party," Brown said. "That is very bad news for the Republicans and clearly, at this point, they are not part of the calculation for many voters."

Experts say that could change if the administration does not begin to show tangible¹⁰ progress on the stagnant¹¹ U.S. economy.

Former Reagan aide Ken Duberstein says now, though, Americans seem to be rooting for President Obama to succeed.

"The American people want instantaneous results, and I think this is going to take a long time and the American people are going to have to have patience," Duberstein said. "The question is, 'How long will the American people buy into Obama's positions, his solutions, to give him a chance to succeed?'"

There was also good news in one of the latest polls for First Lady Michelle Obama. An ABC News -Washington Post poll found that her approval rating has soared to 72 percent, up from only 48 percent last June during the presidential campaign.

 

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

3 disapproving   

adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mother gave me a disapproving look. 母亲的眼神告诉我她是不赞成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her father threw a disapproving glance at her. 她父亲不满地瞥了她一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

6 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 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。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

10 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

11 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。