【英语时差8,16】灾难救援

Disaster Relief --Today on Congressional Moment SFX: montage of emergency vehicles, police radio, thunder... ANNCR: When a disaster occurs, natural or otherwise, Congress plays an important role in providing relief funds and immediate¹ assistance to individuals and communities. Starting with the Congressional Act of 1803, relief was provided through a growing number of separate, specialized² agencies, which at one point numbered over 100. The Disaster Relief Act of 1974 established the process for presidential disaster declarations. In 1979, working with President Jimmy Carter, Congress consolidated³ many of the agencies into the new Federal Emergency Management Agency, or "FEMA." But since the September 11th terrorist attacks, FEMA has been pressed into additional service - securing the homeland. Congress has provided significant new resources to the agency to help communities deal with the threat of terrorism. In November of 2002, FEMA was incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security, which was approved by Congress after months of debate. Opposition⁴ to the new department and its broad powers was strong. And with FEMA's total budget now exceeding $5 billion annually⁵, some wonder whether disaster assistance standards need to be tightened⁶. Even now, as the debate continues, FEMA works with state and local agencies to continue coordinating⁷ all facets⁸ of disaster relief, as well as programs involving homeland security and prevention. STANDARD CLOSING: This is Lee Hamilton. Congressional decisions impact all of our lives. To find out more about how Congress works or to get involved in your government, visit the Center On Congress Web site at congress.indiana.edu.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

3 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。

4 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。

5 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

6 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

7 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

8 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》