VOA常速英语2019--民主党diss特朗普建造边境墙想法老套

Across America, numerous federal operations remain shuttered or scaled back. In Washington, a deal to end the shutdown is nowhere to be seen with neither President Donald Trump¹ nor Democrats² backing down. If we don’t find a solution, it’s going to go on for a long time.

美国的许多联邦政府机构都遭遇停摆或者规模缩减。在华盛顿也看不到停摆通过协议终止的迹象，因为无论是特朗普总统还是民主党都不愿意退步。如果找不到解决方案，这种僵局会持续很长一段时间。

There’s not going to be any bend right here. We are not doing a wall. Does anybody have any doubt that we’re not doing a wall? Trump insists the shutdown will continue until Democrats change their tune³. We have to build the wall or we have to build a barrier. The barrier or the wall can be of steel instead of concrete if that helps people. It’s about security for our country. It’s about stopping human traffickers. It’s about stopping drugs. So we have to have it. Gotta have it. We have no choice. Democrats message to Trump: Don’t hold your breath. It has to do with the wall. It’s an immorality⁴ between countries. It’s an old way of thinking. It isn’t cost-effective.

这个地方不能有任何的让步。我们是不会建造边境墙的。大家对这一点有什么异议吗？特朗普坚持继续政府停摆，除非民主党改变看法。我们必须建造这么一面墙，或者说一道关卡。如果材质选择钢铁比混凝土更有助于保护美国人民的话，那就用钢铁。这是为了我们的国家安全着想，这样能阻止人贩子和毒品进入美国。所以，边境墙非建不可，这是必须的，我们别无他法。民主党向特朗普喊话：别硬撑了。建造边境墙事关重大，这体现了两国之间伤风败俗的行为，这种观念太老套了，性价比又很低。

The yeas are 241 and the nays⁵ are 190. Last week, democrats used their new majority in the House of Representatives to pass a spending bill to reopen the federal government and temporarily fund border security but not a wall. Republicans who retain their Senate majority declined to vote on either measure. Repeated meetings between congressional leaders and White House officials have not broken the impasse⁶. We want to go back to work. We need to go back to work because we have bills to pay. For now, hundreds of thousands of government employees are furloughed or working without pay.

在边境墙问题上，赞成票是241，反对票是190。上周，民主党通过自己刚刚在众议院获得的大多数席位优势通过了一项支出法案，得以结束联邦政府的停摆状态，并为边境安全提供了暂时性的资金，不过这笔资金并非用于建造边境墙。得以保留参议院大多数席位的共和党拒绝投票。国会领导人和白宫官员已经开过多次会议，但都没能打破僵局。我们想回去上班，我们得回去上班，因为有账单要付。目前，很多政府公务员都休假了或者无薪上班。

Some have begun to protest. We have money saved up but if this continues to go on, you know, you’re gonna... we’re gonna deplete⁷ our savings⁸. Trump says federal workers will adjust to the situation. But many of those people that won’t be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree 100 percent with what I’m doing. Polling data show more Americans blame Trump than Democrats for the shutdown with a majority saying they do not support border wall funding.

一些人开始抗议。我们是有些积蓄，但如果这种形势积蓄下去，你懂的，我们就会坐吃山空。特朗普表示，联邦政府的公务员可以调节自身以适应形势。很多没有工资可拿的政府公务员都100%赞同我的所作所为。民意投票显示，因为政府停摆而埋怨特朗普的市民比埋怨民主党的市民多，其中大多数人多表示自己并不知道为建造边境墙提供资金。

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

5 nays   

n.反对票，投反对票者( nay的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tally was two ayes and three nays. 投票结果是两票赞成，三票反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tally was three yeas and two nays, so the yeas have it. 投票结果是三票赞成两票反对，投赞成票者胜利。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

7 deplete   

v.弄空，排除，减轻，减少...体液，放去...的血

参考例句：

• Most native mammal species have been severely depleted.大多数本地哺乳动物的数量都已经大大减少了。
• Elastic collisions deplete very little of the electron's energy.弹性碰撞中电子减少的能量非常少。

8 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。