VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Hopeful but Cautious on Gulf Oil

President Obama has described as a positive sign BP's statement that oil has, at least temporarily, stopped leaking into the Gulf¹ of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well site.  President commented briefly² on the issue after returning from a visit to Michigan.

Video of the Deepwater Horizon well site deep below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico showed a new more tighly-fitting cap installed by BP having stopped the flow of oil into the ocean.

After delivering a main statement on the U.S. Senate's passage of a sweeping³ financial system reform bill, the president responded this way when asked about the development.

"I think it is a positive sign," said President Obama. "We are still in the testing phase, I'll have more to say about it tomorrow."

Caution was understandable considering a statement from BP Thursday about the operation in the Gulf.

BP said while it was expected no oil would be released during a pressure integrity test this could not assured, adding that even stoppage during testing would not indicate that oil and gas flow had permanently⁴ stopped.

BP said it had temporarily halted drilling operations on relief wells, which the company says remain the sole means to permanently seal and isolate⁵ the Deepwater Horizon well site.

If the latest BP capping operation does succeed in stopping the oil flow, it will be the best of news for people in Gulf states struggling with economic and environmental devastation⁶ from the nearly three month ordeal⁷.

It would be good news too for President Obama, who faced sharp criticism that his administration was slow to respond to the initial explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, which killed 11 crewmen.

The president has made clear he intends to maintain pressure on BP to fulfill⁸ obligations it has made to pay compensation to Gulf coast residents, through a $20 billion fund negotiated with the administration, and finance ongoing⁹ containment¹⁰ and cleanup operations.

It remains¹¹ to be seen whether a successful stoppage of oil flowing into the Gulf will strengthen the president politically in coming months, after he faced tough polling numbers regarding his handling of the disaster.

The president also faces ongoing pressure from Gulf state politicians over a new six month moratorium¹² on deepwater oil drilling announced this week.  Mr. Obama says this was necessary because of ongoing uncertainty¹³ about safety in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Steps are continuing in the U.S. Congress to dramatically change existing U.S. laws regarding offshore¹⁴ oil drilling, including imposing¹⁵ new environmental safeguards, with numerous pieces of legislation awaiting action.

 

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 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

5 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

6 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

8 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

13 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

14 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

15 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。