VOA标准英语2013--2013年在历史上是美国国会通过法律最少的一年

 

US Congress in 2013 Passes Fewest Laws in History 2013年在历史上是美国国会通过法律最少的一年

CAPITOL HILL — The 113th Congress has been the least productive in history, with the House and Senate passing only 57 bills that were signed into law by President  Barack Obama. Analysts¹ say that even in the context of a divided government, with a Democrat² in the White House, a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Republican-led  House of Representatives, performance has been dismal³. Most analysts do not expect a dramatic change next year, as lawmakers look to midterm elections coming in  November.

Immigration reform passed in the Senate, but was not even taken up in the House of Representatives. This prompted some activists⁴ to fast for days or even weeks to get  lawmakers to pay attention.  Majority Republicans set the agenda in the House, where a lot of time was spent passing legislation to repeal⁵ or delay President Obama’s health care law. Budget  analyst Stan Collender thinks present patterns of behavior are likely to continue.

“They voted to repeal Obamacare 37 times, knowing full well that not one of them was going to get through. What actually… [got done] at the end of the day is very,  very little. It was totally predictable, and almost certainly will continue in the absence of some sort of major crisis.”

Republican opposition⁶ to ObamaCare led to a government shutdown for two weeks in October, with conservative advocacy groups leading the charge. Two months later, House Speaker John Boehner criticized some fellow Republicans, saying they pushed the party into a futile⁷ budget standoff.

“The day before the government reopened, one of the people at one of the groups stood up and said, ‘well, we never thought it would work.’ Are you kidding me?”  said Boehner.

Stuart Rothenberg, who follows Congress for his political report, thinks the entirety of Congress is to blame.

“Republicans, Democrats⁸, Independents all think Congress has failed, that they haven’t addressed the nation’s toughest problems, that they’ve been bickering⁹, that  it’s all about politics. Each side points the finger at the other so there’s no doubt about that. Congress as an institution is now held in as low a regard as I’ve  ever seen,” said Rothenberg.

Veteran Republican Senator John McCain agrees.

“The American people, very appropriately, have very little regard for us. It is down now to some nine percent. And when you know that low number, you have to got to  remember in the nineties, in the eighties, general approval rating was in the sixtieth percentile, it wasn’t always like this,” said McCain.

Senator McCain reports that the current atmosphere in Congress is as poisoned as he can remember in his 30 years on Capitol Hill. He says lawmakers should remember  that one can compromise to get laws passed without compromising one’s principles. 

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 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。

3 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

6 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。

7 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

8 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》

9 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》