VOA标准英语2010年-North American Auto Show Puts Detroit

The North American International Auto¹ Show is one of the biggest events for the automobile² industry.  The annual show gives vehicle manufacturers an opportunity to introduce new models and technology available to consumers in the coming years. The spotlight³ placed on Detroit during the Auto Show also underscores the economic difficulty in the United States, as the country and the auto industry struggle to emerge from one of the worst years in auto sales.
 
Inside Cobo Center, home to the annual Detroit Auto Show, it's an endless display of glitz and glamour⁴ as automobile executives give the world a first look at their latest offerings.

This year's show comes in the wake of one of the worst years in automobile sales, which led to a massive government loan to General Motors and Chrysler, to help those companies stay afloat.

Outside Cobo Center, the reality of that economic climate is visible in Detroit's urban decay.  Known as the Motor City, Detroit's former glory has given way to crumbling⁵ buildings and vacant lots.  Detroit now has an unemployment rate near 15 percent, the largest for a metropolitan⁷ area in the United States. "If you have large scale downsizing in the auto industries, and other industries, workers don't have money.  People are behind in their mortgages. They're behind in their rents. They don't have disposable income to come downtown and go to a restaurant or go to a shop.  So this is the main issue," he said.

Abayomi Azikiwe is a local community activist⁸ trying to stop home foreclosures around Detroit.  On a tour of the city, he explains the reason for Detroit's decline. "The auto industry had employed hundreds of thousands of people here in the city of Detroit for decades, and beginning in the 1970's, those jobs are gone.  They've been downsized and outsourced," he said.

Azikiwe says he doesn't believe the billions of dollars the U.S. government pumped into the auto industry in the last year has helped Detroit reverse the unemployment trend.

Jeff McQueen, who belongs to the TEA Party Political organization, is also critical of the government's new role as a primary shareholder⁹ in the U.S. Auto industry. "No amount of government stimulation¹⁰ is ever going get us back on our feet," he said.

But Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm disagrees, saying, "You better believe that this unemployment rate in Michigan would have been a heck of a lot worse if it weren't for the fact the Obama administration came in and provided a safety net."

General Motors employee Matt Slade agrees with Governor Granholm.  He says his job is one of the tens of thousands saved by the government's assistance. "They kept thousands of people, especially in Michigan and the metro⁶ Detroit area working.  It's not the perfect scenario¹¹, however it did save our industry," he said.

The issue now is transforming Michigan's economy, which has historically been dependent on the auto industry. "We have been the poster child for this global shift in manufacturing jobs, and this is why we are so focused in diversifying¹² Michigan's economy," said Governor Granholm.

Granholm believes that with new technology, profiled at this year's Auto Show, Michigan can play an important role in helping¹³ the environment, while also creating jobs.

The state is showing signs of heading in that direction.  In early January, General Motors started production of a lithium ion battery at a new plant in Brownstown Township, about 40 kilometeres from Detroit.  It is the first such plant in the United States, and initially¹⁴ employs about 25 people.

1 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。

2 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。

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

5 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

6 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

7 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

10 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

11 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

12 diversifying   

v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• Some publishers are now diversifying into software. 有些出版社目前正兼营软件。 来自辞典例句
• Silverlit is diversifying into new markets, such as Russia and Eastern Europe. Silverlit正在使他们的市场变得多样化，开发新的市场如俄罗斯和东欧国家。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。