2006年VOA标准英语-Pelosi Vows Action on 9/11 Commission Recommend

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
14 December 2006

The incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives says Democrats² will push for creation of a new bipartisan committee to oversee³ how money is spent on and by the U.S. intelligence community. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi spoke⁴ about the issue in a Capitol Hill news conference as she reiterated⁵ Democratic objectives when the new Congress convenes⁶ in January.

Nancy Pelosi

Most of what Representative Pelosi outlined she had previously⁷ said in the days following the November election, regarding what Democrats call their "six for 2006" agenda.

That is a reference to key priorities Democrats say will be the focus of the first 100 hours of the new Congress, involving action in a number of areas, from the economy and homeland security to fighting corruption⁸ in Congress.

"We will see a people's Congress, a Congress that will pass legislation, in the first 100 hours, to make the American people safer, to make our economy fairer, make our Congress more honest, and build a better future for all America's children," said Nancy Pelosi.

At the top of the agenda is full implementation⁹ of the recommendations of the independent commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terrorist acts.

Pelosi says there will be legislation to ensure that 100 percent of shipping¹⁰ containers destined¹¹ for the U.S. are screened before reaching American ports.

Progress on that is something the Bush administration has recently claimed credit for. This week, officials announced that U.S.-bound cargo¹² from six foreign ports will undergo radiological scanning by early 2007.

Pelosi says Democrats will also take another step aimed at correcting what they have described as a broken system of oversight¹³ by Congress under Republican control.

That will be a new committee to keep watch over government spending on the intelligence budget:

"This panel will have the responsibility to hold hearings, to consider the budget, for intelligence," she said.

The new Select Intelligence Oversight Committee would consist of members of existing panels on Intelligence and Appropriations¹⁴, and would, among other things, make it easier for members to consider classified information.

Among other priorities Pelosi outlined is one she frequently describes as the need to "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C., a reference to congressional ethics¹⁵.

Pelosi says she has discussed with outgoing Republican Majority Leader John Boehner the need for an outside task force to help Congress oversee itself:

"This all comes back to the American people," noted¹⁶ Nancy Pelosi. "They have to have confidence that Congress is hear to work in the people's interest, not [for] the special interests."

While Republicans, including lawmakers and staffers, have been the main focus of major ethics controversies¹⁷ such as the Abramoff lobbying scandal, some Democrats have also gotten into trouble on separate matters.

Democratic leaders are keeping Louisiana Congressman¹⁸ William Jefferson off a key House panel while a federal corruption investigation¹⁹ involving him continues. And a House ethics panel said another Democrat¹, Jim McDermott, violated rules of his committee when he gave an illegally recorded telephone conversation to the media. Democrats intend to impose a five-day work week on House members to achieve the goals of the 100-hour agenda, in contrast to the schedule under Republicans that more often than not had lawmakers at work only three days a week.

In addition to the September 11 recommendations, Democrats also plan legislation to increase the U.S. minimum wage for workers, ease financial pressures for college students, and direct funds to alternative energy by reducing subsidies²⁰ for oil companies.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

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 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

6 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

11 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

12 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

13 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

14 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

15 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

18 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

19 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

20 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》