VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Seeks $12 Billion for Community Coll

U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for a $12 billion investment in two-year colleges, to help train millions of Americans who are out of work. The president made his case Tuesday in the state with the nation's worst unemployment rate.
　
President Barack Obama speaks at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, 14 Jul 2009

To underscore his call for more education spending, President Obama went to Michigan, where unemployment has topped 14 percent.

"We have got to prepare our people with the skills they need to compete in this global economy," he said. "Time and again, when we have placed our bet for the future on education, we have prospered¹ as a result."

At a two-year college in Warren, Michigan, Mr. Obama proposed spending $12 billion over the next decade to build, expand and improve the nation's community colleges. He said those colleges, where people are trained for trades and professions, are an essential part of America's economic recovery and its future prosperity.

The president stressed that jobs requiring at least an associate's degree are expected to grow twice as quickly as those that do not.

"We will not fill those jobs, or even keep those jobs here in America, without the training offered by community colleges," he said.

Mr. Obama has said he wants the U.S. to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. His administration has increased grants and tax credits for college tuition and simplified college aid applications.

"So we have already taken some steps that are building the foundation for a 21st-century education system here in America, one that will allow us to compete with China and India and everybody else all around the world," said the president.

Despite Mr. Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus² legislation, which was enacted³ in February, the nation's unemployment rate has hit a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. And the president admitted Tuesday he expects it to continue rising for the next few months.

Republicans in Congress have said the president's economic initiatives cost too much and are not effective.

1 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

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 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹