VOA标准英语2011--Obama: Education Key to US Competitivene

President Obama used a visit to the U.S. West coast this week to highlight the importance of improving education standards to ensure future U.S. competitiveness. He met with leaders of American technology companies, and visited high-tech¹ facilities at Intel Corporation in Oregon.
Mr. Obama's visit to Intel, and private talks the previous day with technology business leaders, were part of his drive to underscore the private sector² role in driving economic recovery and highlight the role of education in American competitiveness.
After touring Intel's advanced semiconductor³ facility with CEO Paul Otellini, the president returned to a major theme of his State of the Union Address - that future economic strength depends on making America's education system competitive with other nations.
Even as Americans learn to "live within [their] means" in fiscal⁴ terms, Obama said, the nation has no choice but to invest in the future, and that means focusing "like a laser" on education.
"We can't win the future if we lose the race to educate our children. Can't do it. In today's economy, the quality of a nation's education is one of the biggest predictors of a nation's success. It is what will determine whether the American Dream survives."
The president said education, and investment in research and development, are key to a future in which technological⁵ innovations begin in the United States rather than overseas.
"If we want the next technological breakthrough that leads to the next Intel, to happen here in the United States - not in China or not in Germany, but here in the United States - then we have to invest in America's research and technology; in the work of our scientists and our engineers."
The president has named Otellini to serve on a newly-created Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which is headed by another business executive, Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric.
Otellini has been among critics of Obama administration policies, saying they have failed to create enough business and consumer confidence. In a recent speech to the U.S. Chamber⁶ of Commerce, Obama urged companies to "get off the sidelines" and do more to help create jobs.
Introducing the president, Otellini referred to what he called a need to "re-ignite" innovation as a means to create jobs and wealth, and pointed⁷ to Intel investments in education, particularly in science and math.
"Building such a future requires more than just investments in technology and manufacturing," said Otellini. "We also need to invest in educating and training the workers that will invent and manage the industries of the future."
In his remarks in Oregon, President Obama once again touted⁸ his "Race to the Top" initiative, which challenges school systems across the country to raise standards in return for federal aid.
He also pointed to his STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiative, an effort to train 100,000 new teachers over the next decade, along with steps designed to make college more affordable⁹ and efforts re-vitalize community colleges across the nation.
At a private dinner Thursday in San Francisco, Obama met with a dozen technology executives and innovators, including Steve Jobs of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and the CEOs of Twitter, Google and Yahoo.
Back in Washington, the president has a fight on his hands with opposition¹⁰ Republicans over his "Win the Future" innovation drive. They have labeled many of his investment initiatives as "big spending" that can't be supported in difficult economic times.
Even as he proposes spending cuts in his 2012 budget aimed at bringing down the $1.3 trillion federal deficit¹¹, and more than $14 trillion national debt, Mr. Obama has vowed¹² to fight to preserve investments in what he calls core areas vital to securing U.S. competitiveness.

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 semiconductor   

n.半导体

参考例句：

• In the beginning,engineers hoped to use semiconductor lasers.在开始时，工程师们希望能够利用半导体激光器。
• The main agent of the company brand semiconductor sales.本公司主要代理各品牌半导体销售。

4 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。

5 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 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。

11 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

12 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。