奥巴马演讲 That Economic Heartbeat is Growing Stronger
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-05-05 00:29 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Statement by the President on the Economy and the Oil Spill in the Gulf1 of Mexico
Rose Garden
11:26 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  Before I make a statement on the economy, I just want to offer an update on the ongoing2 federal response to the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

I have dispatched(派遣) the Secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the Administrator3 of the EPA, my Assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy, and the NOAA Administrator to the Gulf Coast to ensure that we continue to do everything necessary to respond to this event.  And I expect their reports from the ground today.

As I said yesterday, BP is ultimately responsible under the law for paying the costs of response and cleanup operations, but we are fully4 prepared to meet our responsibilities to any and all affected5 communities.  And that’s why we’ve been working closely with state and local authorities since the day of the explosion. 

There are now five staging areas(集结待命地区) to protect sensitive shorelines; approximately(大约,近于) 1,900 federal response personnel are in the area; and more than 300 response vessels6 and aircraft on the scene 24/7.  We've also laid approximately 217,000 feet of protective boom, and there are more on the way.

I've order Secretary Salazar to conduct a thorough review of this incident and report back to me in 30 days on what, if any, additional precautions(防范,预警) and technologies should be required to prevent accidents like this from happening again.  And we're going to make sure that any leases going forward have those safeguards.  We've also dispatched teams to the Gulf to inspect all deepwater rigs and platforms to address safety concerns.

So, let me be clear.  I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security, but I've always said it must be done responsibly, for the safety of our workers and our environment.  The local economies and livelihoods7(生计,营生) of the people of the Gulf Coast as well as the ecology of the region are at stake.  And we're going to continue to update the American people on the situation in the Gulf going forward.

Now, I'd like to say a few words about the economy.  Every three months, the federal government measures the total output of goods and services our businesses, our workers and our government produce.  It determines whether our economy is shrinking or growing -– the single broadest measure of America’s economic health.  At the height of our economic crisis, that measure all too often was delivering grim(冷酷的,残忍的) news.  But today is a different story.

In the first quarter of last year, our economy shrank at a rate of 6.4 percent.  Today, we learned that in the first quarter of this year, our economy grew at a rate of 3.2 percent.

What this number means is that our economy as a whole is in a much better place than it was one year ago.  The economy that shrank for four quarters in a row has now grown for three quarters in a row.  And that growth has been a condition for job growth -– the economy that was losing jobs a year ago is creating jobs today.

After the single biggest economic crisis in our lifetimes, we’re heading in the right direction.  We’re moving forward.  Our economy is stronger; that economic heartbeat is growing stronger.

But I measure progress by a different pulse -– the progress the American people feel in their own lives day in, day out.  And this week, I spent a few days visiting with folks in small towns in the Midwest -– places where the damage done by the worst recession in our lifetimes is profound.  They’re still trying to recover from a shockwave of lost homes, lost businesses, and more than eight million lost jobs.  It’s a tragedy that has families and communities across America too often feeling like they’re on life support.

So while today’s GDP report is an important milepost(里程碑) on our road to recovery, it doesn’t mean much to an American who has lost his or her job and can’t find another.  For millions of Americans -– our friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens ready and willing to get back to work -– “you’re hired” is the only economic news they’re waiting to hear.  And they are why the work of moving this economy forward remains9 our focus every single day.

Now, government can’t replace every job that has been lost. That’s not government’s role.  It is America’s business all across the country -- the private sector10, businesses -- that have always been and will always be the engines of our job creation.  Our task, then, is to create the conditions necessary for those businesses to open their doors, expand their operations, and ultimately hire more workers.

That’s precisely11 what we’ve tried to do by cutting taxes for small businesses; by backing thousands of loans supporting billions of dollars in lending; and by making targeted investments in the areas of our economy where the potential for job growth is greatest -– areas like clean energy.

As an example, this week, I visited workers at a plant in Fort Madison, Iowa.  Some of you guys went along.  And just a few short years ago, that plant was shuttered and it was dark.  Today, it is alive and humming with(充满活力,忙碌) more than 600 employees at work manufacturing some of the most advanced blades for wind turbines(风力涡轮机) in the world.  That facility capitalized on its growth by taking advantage of an Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit in the recovery that we passed last year, which allowed it to add equipment, boost output, and hire new workers at that plant.

In fact, this program was so successful that it was oversubscribed by a ratio of three to one.  That’s why I’ve called for an additional $5 billion in investment into these projects to accelerate the creation of clean-energy jobs in America’s factories.  Because every time a new factory or plant opens or expands in America, it becomes important to more people than the workers it employs; it becomes an economic lifeline to a community, capable of supporting dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of jobs indirectly12.

So the CEOs and the workers that we have here today could tell you the same thing.  Malcolm Unsworth is the CEO of Itron -- where did he go?  There he is, right here.  This is a company that produces smart meters to help businesses and consumers analyze13 real-time data about how they use energy.  And these meters help reduce carbon emissions14, improve energy efficiency, and save consumers money -– and they’re critical components15 of the smart electric grid16 of tomorrow.

The $3.4 billion investment that the Recovery Act made towards that smart grid helped increase demand for Itron’s products.  And in January, Itron competed for and won its own Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit.  And it’s using that tax credit to meet that new demand, adding production lines at its plants in Waseca, Minnesota, where it has hired 40 new workers; in Oconee, South Carolina, where it’s hired 120 new workers.

Carla Reysack and James Morris are here, and these are two of the workers who have just been hired.  James, a native of Oconee County, recently found himself laid off(下岗,解雇) from a local plant after punching in(上班打卡) for 28 years.  Today, he and his wife Angela both work at Itron, helping17 to forge a clean-energy future for their three daughters.

David Vieau -- right over here -- is President and CEO of A123 Systems, a company that produces advanced batteries for energy storage and next-generation vehicles.  Last August, following a nationwide competition among America’s clean-energy technology leaders, Vice8 President Biden traveled to Michigan to announce that A123 was one of the 48 companies to win a Recovery Act grant for advanced battery technology.

That grant helped A123 hire 44 new workers.  And that grant is supporting the construction of three new plants in the state of Michigan, which A123 expects will allow it to hire more than 120 workers by the end of this year, more than 1,000 by the end of next year, and more than 3,000 by the end of 2012.  Two of those workers, James Fenton and Nino Biundo, are here today.  They lost their previous jobs in the recession.  And then 123 -- A123 hired them both to help manufacture the batteries of tomorrow.

A123 has already begun construction on one facility in the city of Livonia, which is scheduled to go online in July, and they’ve begun designing a facility in the city of Romulus.  And they’ve announced plans to build their first high-volume factory in Brownstown.  So truth be told, A123 was looking to build that factory in Asia.  But because it received that grant, it chose the state of Michigan for its largest and most innovative18 plant yet.  And that plant will be one of 30 new plants to go fully operational over the next six years manufacturing electric vehicle batteries and components right here in the United States of America.

So this is what’s possible in a clean-energy economy -- these folks right here, doing extraordinary work.  This is what happens when we place our bets on American workers and American businesses.  And we’re going to continue working to help them manufacture more success stories like these across all sectors19 of our economy.

So we've still got a long way to go on our road to recovery. There are going to be more ups and downs(盛衰,沉浮) along the way.  But today’s news is another sign that we’re on the right track.  And we’re going to keep doing everything we can to help our businesses take the baton20(接力棒,指挥棒) and power our recovery today -– and lead us to more hopeful and more prosperous set of days in the future.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
11:36 A.M. EDT



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 gulf 1e0xp     
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
参考例句:
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
2 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
3 administrator SJeyZ     
n.经营管理者,行政官员
参考例句:
  • The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
  • He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。
4 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
5 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
6 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
7 livelihoods 53a2f8716b41c07918d6fc5d944b18a5     
生计,谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者,他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小,他们的传统生计受到了威胁。
8 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
9 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
10 sector yjczYn     
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。
11 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
12 indirectly a8UxR     
adv.间接地,不直接了当地
参考例句:
  • I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
  • They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人,他们进行了间接接触。
13 analyze RwUzm     
vt.分析,解析 (=analyse)
参考例句:
  • We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
  • The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。
14 emissions 1a87f8769eb755734e056efecb5e2da9     
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
参考例句:
  • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
  • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
15 components 4725dcf446a342f1473a8228e42dfa48     
(机器、设备等的)构成要素,零件,成分; 成分( component的名词复数 ); [物理化学]组分; [数学]分量; (混合物的)组成部分
参考例句:
  • the components of a machine 机器部件
  • Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。
16 grid 5rPzpK     
n.高压输电线路网;地图坐标方格;格栅
参考例句:
  • In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下,要用载体把格栅密封起来。
  • Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。
17 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
18 innovative D6Vxq     
adj.革新的,新颖的,富有革新精神的
参考例句:
  • Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
  • He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
19 sectors 218ffb34fa5fb6bc1691e90cd45ad627     
n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形
参考例句:
  • Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
20 baton 5Quyw     
n.乐队用指挥杖
参考例句:
  • With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
  • The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒,乐队开始演奏起来。
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