VOA标准英语2010年-Obama On Third Visit to Gulf, Inspects

President Barack Obama makes a statement after being briefed on the BP oil spill relief efforts in the Gulf¹ Coast region, Friday, June 4, 2010, at Louis Armstrong International New Orleans Airport in Kenner, La. Looking on is Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, right, and White House energy and climate adviser² Carol Browner.

President Obama is making a third visit to the U.S. Gulf coast to inspect progress in stopping the deep-sea oil leak and fighting oil washing ashore³ on beaches in four states. It was the president's second visit to the area in a week, and came amid ongoing⁴ efforts by BP to cap the leaking well in the Gulf.

Facing criticism that he has failed to demonstrate sufficient empathy for people in the Gulf suffering from the impact of the oil leak, the president this time included visits with local residents, business leaders and fishermen in addition to meetings with local and state officials.

President Obama has said he is furious about the situation, the strongest term he has used since the April 20th explosion that killed 11 workers and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform.

In remarks to reporters after arriving in Louisiana, and shortly before he was driven to the town of Grand Isle⁵, the president referred to media advertising⁶ BP is using to manage its image, saying BP should not be nickel and diming Gulf coast residents when it comes to compensation claims. "They have got moral and legal obligations here in the Gulf for the damage that has been done and what I don't want to hear is when they are spending that kind of money on their shareholders⁷, and spending that kind of money on TV advertising that they are nickle and diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time," he said.

Nora Combel, a woman in Grand Isle, said, "I think he is down here to help us. I really do."

BP has succeeded in installing a large containment⁸ cap on the leaking well 1.5 kilometers below the water's surface to siphon oil to a collection ship at the surface.

But the company said it would not be possible to estimate how much oil and gas would be captured, and that the system's efficiency, continued operation, and ability to contain oil and gas could not be assured.

BP chief executive Tony Hayward has been sharply criticized over his handling of cleanup efforts, and statements he has made, and there have been calls for his resignation. 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who was among Gulf state governors with the president on this visit, is among those sharply questioning BP leadership. "If I was on that board [of directors of BP]  I would wonder about trusting a multi-billion company to somebody who is making those kind of statements.  But at the end of the day it doesn't matter to me who they have running the company as long as they do a better job than what they are doing today," he said.

The federal government has sent a $69 million bill to BP and what it called other responsible parties for costs so far of responding to the oil disaster and cleanup operations.

As the president toured areas of the Gulf on Friday, oil which had previously⁹ come ashore in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, devastating¹⁰ wildlife populations, was beginning to wash up on beaches in the Florida panhandle.

Another casualty of the oil disaster has been President Obama's plan to visit to Indonesia and Australia later this month. 

After postponing¹¹ it last March as he struggled with the U.S. Congress over health care legislation, the president postponed¹² a second time after he and his advisers¹³ decided¹⁴ he should remain in the U.S. to deal with the Gulf oil situation.
 

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

3 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

8 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

11 postponing   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He tried to gain time by postponing his decision. 他想以迟迟不作决定的手段来争取时间。 来自辞典例句
• I don't hold with the idea of postponing further discussion of the matter. 我不赞成推迟进一步讨论这件事的想法。 来自辞典例句

12 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

13 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。