VOA标准英语2011--Obama: March Jobless Numbers 'Good News'

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped in March to its lowest level in two years, and President Barack Obama hailed the "good news."
The Labor¹ Department says 8.8 percent of the U.S. work force was unemployed² in March. That is one-tenth of a percent lower than in February, and a full point below its level in November.
President Obama said Friday the economy is making strong gains in creating jobs. "Our economy is showing signs of real strength. Today, we learned that we added 230,000 private sector³ jobs last month. And that is good news," he said.
At a parcel shipping⁴ company near Washington, Mr. Obama said the new, lower jobless numbers are an encouraging sign that an economic recovery is under way.
"That makes 1.8 million private sector jobs created in the last 13 months," he said. "And the unemployment rate has now fallen a full point in the last four months. And the last time that happened was during the recovery in 1984."
The president acknowledged that millions of Americans are still looking for jobs, and he pledged to work harder to restore the jobs lost in the recession.
Mr. Obama said his campaign to reduce America's dependence⁵ on imported oil will help to continue the momentum⁶ of the economic recovery, partially⁷ by creating jobs in the clean-energy economy.
On Wednesday, the president announced his energy policy, including efforts to cut U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025.
The president called Friday for the U.S. government's fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles to consist entirely⁸ of fuel-efficient cars and trucks within the next few years.
"We have already doubled the number of federal cars and trucks that are hybrids⁹, and I am directing our departments and agencies to make sure 100 percent of the vehicles they buy are fuel-efficient or clean-energy cars or trucks by 2015," he said.
Mr. Obama announced a program in which the government will assist corporations which replace their gasoline-powered vehicles with those that run on alternative energy sources.
The president also said he is encouraged by the progress of budget talks between Democrats¹⁰ and Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Despite warnings about a possible government shutdown if an agreement is not reached, Mr. Obama said the leaders of both parties agreed on how much spending should be cut. He said details remain to be worked out, but a compromise is within reach.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

3 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。

4 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。

5 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

6 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

10 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》