VOA标准英语2013--议员克鲁兹并不反对第二次停摆

 

Defiant¹ Senator Cruz Not Opposed to Second Shutdown 议员克鲁兹并不反对第二次停摆

WASHINGTON — The political crisis that forced a partial shutdown of the U.S. government is over; government agencies are open for business again and, instead of running out of money, the government is paying its bills.  But at least one of the lawmakers who helped lead the shutdown-charge is signaling the fight is far from done, even if it means forcing a shutdown all over again.

At the height of the U.S. shutdown fight, before protesters started throwing down barricades³ blocking a war memorial, Texas Senator Ted² Cruz had their attention.

He said, "Let me ask a simple question: why is the federal government spending money to erect⁴ barricades to keep veterans out of this Memorial?"

It was part of a stand Cruz started making earlier, forcing a shutdown as part of an effort to defund the new U.S. health care law known as "Obamacare," even reading from a children's book as part of a 21-hour talk on the Senate floor to delay a vote.

Now he tells ABC News he might be willing to force a shutdown all over again.

"I would do anything, and I will continue to do anything, to stop the train wreck⁵ that is Obamacare," he said.

The approach has rankled⁶ some Republicans and drawn⁷ criticism from colleagues.

When Republican Rep. Peter King was asked if the strategy was working for Republicans, he responded: "It depends on how you look at it. Not from my perspective."

The Houston Chronicle newspaper, which endorsed⁸ his 2012 Senate race, now calls him "part of the problem" in Washington.

None of this seems to matter to Cruz's political base -- conservative Republican voters known as the Tea Party.  His favorability rating among them jumped from 47 percent in July to 74 percent now according to one recent poll.

"This fight, this debate, will continue until collectively the American people can make [Washington] D.C. listen," Cruz said.

That may be enough to make Cruz a force to reckon with, perhaps even a potential presidential candidate down the line. 

1 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

4 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

5 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

6 rankled   

v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her comments still rankled. 她的评价仍然让人耿耿于怀。
• The insult rankled in his mind. 这种侮辱使他心里难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》