VOA标准英语2013--Washington Week: Focus on Effects of Automatic Spending Cuts

 

Washington Week: Focus on Effects of Automatic Spending Cuts

With President Obama and Congress unable to agree on alternatives to across-the-board cuts, the American people are weighing in on Washington’s unending budgetary drama.

“It is just ridiculous that Congress and the president cannot get along. Every so often we have to go through this, and it just is not fair to the peoplem," said a resident of Florida. 

Not everyone is panicked. 

“I do not think it is going to be as bad as all the drama purports," said a resident of New York. 

Absent sustained and vociferous¹ public outcry, President Barack Obama’s call for a bipartisan budget deal may fall on deaf ears.

“These cuts are not smart. They will hurt our economy and cost us jobs. And Congress can turn them off at any time - as soon as both sides are willing to compromise," he said. 

The president wants a mix of targeted spending cuts and higher revenues to replace the so-called sequester². Republicans reject new tax hikes. 

House Speaker John Boehner said, “This discussion on revenue, in my view, is over. It is about taking on the spending problem here in Washington.”

Chronic³ political gridlock has left the American public dismayed and fatigued⁴, according to analyst⁵ Sarah Binder⁶.

“I think the public generally looks at this and says, ‘A pox on both your houses’ - right? People disagree about what the solution is. I think everybody recognizes that is probably not the best way to govern," she said. 

The coming week could also see Senate action on President Obama’s pick to head the CIA, John Brennan. Additionally, Congress continues to examine possible firearms restrictions⁷ in the wake of mass-shootings that shocked the nation. 

1 vociferous   

adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的

参考例句：

• They are holding a vociferous debate.他们在吵吵嚷嚷地辩论。
• He was a vociferous opponent of Conservatism.他高声反对保守主义。

2 sequester   

vt.使退隐，使隔绝

参考例句：

• Everything he owned was sequestered.他的所有财产都被扣押了。
• This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months.预计这个陪审团将至少被隔离两个月。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 binder   

n.包扎物，包扎工具；[法]临时契约；粘合剂；装订工

参考例句：

• The cloth flower snaps on with a special binder.这布花是用一种特殊的粘合剂固定住的。
• Purified water was used as liquid binder.纯净水作为液体粘合剂。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制