2019-02-21

2018年12月22日,因总统特朗普和民主党人在美墨边境隔离墙修建问题上分歧严重,双方未能就政府拨款达成一致,近1/4的美国联邦政府机构相继停摆,约80万联邦政府雇员被迫无薪工作或被强制休假。

上周末,特朗普提出,如果国会民主党人同意为美墨边境墙拨款57亿美元,他将为近100万非法移民提供暂时身份及保护。但民主党人认为边界建墙成本高昂,而且解决不了边界安全问题。他们希望特朗普与共和党人先同意让政府重新开门,然后再讨论其它边境安全措施。

眼下因政府停摆,联邦雇员已经不得不靠食物救济度日,一年一度的国情咨文演讲也可能要被叫停。尽管特朗普声称他并不介意政府关门持续上几年,但事实是留给国会两党继续对峙的时间已经不多了。

本篇课程首发于2019年1月24日,选自 The Economist Espresso APP

https://espresso.economist.com/f1e1fd9e97f59379ed79bdf258d55042

Going nowhere: America's shutdown

Members of Congress were supposed to spend this holiday-shortened week working in their districts.

② But both chambers cancelled the year's first recess to hold votes on competing—and equally doomed—plans to reopen the government.

③ Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, will put forth Donald Trump's proposal: $5.7bn for his wall in exchange for giving some undocumented immigrants three years' protection from deportation.

④ The bill could probably pass the Republican-controlled Senate absent an inevitable Democratic filibuster, after which it would fail in the Democrat-run House.

⑤ Bills to reopen the government without wall funding put forth by Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, will meet the inverse fate.

⑥ Mr Trump has little room to manoeuvre; it was not only Democrats who received his offer poorly.

⑦ Ann Coulter, a right-wing talk-show host whose derisive tweets arguably sparked the shutdown, sneered, "Trump proposes amnesty!" Amnesty, Mr Trump reassured her, "will be used only on a much bigger deal."

▍生词好句

go/get nowhere: 毫无进展

shutdown /ˈʃʌtdaʊn/: n. 停摆;关闭

Members of Congress: 国会议员

Congress /ˈkɒŋɡres, ˈkɑːŋɡres/: n. (美国) 国会

be supposed to do sth.: 应该做某事 (可能没做)

holiday-shortened week: 因为假日而缩短的 (交易) 周

(congressional) district /ˈdɪstrɪkt/: n. 选区

chamber /ˈtʃeɪmbə, ˈtʃeɪmbər/: n. 议院

recess /rɪˈses, ˈriːses/: n. 休会 (期)

recession /rɪˈseʃən/: n. 经济衰退;萧条

Capitol Hill: 国会山

hold votes on: 举行关于……的投票

competing /kəmˈpiːtɪŋ/: adj. 针锋相对的

two competing ideologies: 两种相对的意识形态

doomed /duːmd/: adj. 注定要失败的

Senate majority leader: 参议院多数党领袖 (参院多数党议员中职位最高的议员)

put forth: 提出; 建议 (present)

in exchange for: 作为…的交换

undocumented immigrants: 非法移民

political correctness: 政治正确

permanent residence: 永久居留权

deportation /ˌdiːpɔːˈteɪʃən, ˌdiːpɔːrˈteɪʃən/: n. 驱逐出境;放逐

absent /ˈæbsənt/: prep. 缺乏;没有 (without)

inevitable /ɪˈnevɪtəbəl/: adj. 难以避免的;必然发生的

filibuster /ˈfɪlɪbʌstə/: n. 无限制演讲;阻挠议事

House speaker: 众议院议长 (美国众议院的首席)

inverse /ɪnˈvɜːs, ɪnˈvɜːrs/: adj. 反的;逆的

manoeuvre /məˈnuːvə, məˈnuːvər/: vi. 操纵,控制;使花招

right-wing /ˌraɪt ˈwɪŋ/: adj. 右翼的

derisive /dɪˈraɪsɪv/: adj. 嘲弄的;讥讽的 (sarcastic/ironic)

arguably /ˈɑːɡjuəbli, ˈɑːrɡjuəbli/: adv. 可以说;可能

sneer /snɪə, snɪr/: vt. 讥讽;嘲笑

amnesty /ˈæmnɪsti, ˈæmnəsti/: n. 赦免;大赦

reassure /ˌriːəˈʃʊə, ˌriːəˈʃʊr/: vt. 使安心;打消……的疑虑

Trump: The Art of the Deal:《交易的艺术》

▍词汇拓展

1. go/get nowhere: 毫无进展

We discussed it all morning but got nowhere.

我们就此事讨论了一上午,可是毫无进展。

I've been learning English three years but I got nowhere.

我学英语已经学了3年,但是毫无长进。

2. shutdown: n. 停摆;关闭

government shutdown 政府停摆

factory shutdown 工厂歇业

3. Congress: n. (美国) 国会

· Parliament: n. (英国) 议会

Members of Congress 美国国会议员

Members of Parliament 英国议会议员

National People's Congress 全国人民代表大会

4. (congressional) district: n. 选区

· constituency /kənˈstɪtʃuənsi/: n. 选区

5. doomed: adj. 注定要失败的

This is a doomed policy. 这项政策注定失败。

6. arguably: adv. 可以说;可能

He is arguably the world's best football player.

他可以说是世界上最优秀的足球运动员。

▍责任编辑

高晴、李焕

▍内容校对

武志琳、章晓丹

null

Going nowhere

go/get nowhere: 毫无进展

shutdown /ˈʃʌtdaʊn/

n. 停摆;关闭

Members of Congress

国会议员

holiday-shortened week

因为假日而缩短的 (交易) 周

districts /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

(congressional) district: n. 选区

were supposed to

be supposed to do sth.: 应该做某事 (可能没做)

chambers /ˈtʃeɪmbə, ˈtʃeɪmbər/

chamber: n. 议院

recess /rɪˈses, ˈriːses/

n. 休会 (期)

competing /kəmˈpiːtɪŋ/

adj. 针锋相对的

doomed /duːmd/

adj. 注定要失败的

hold votes on

hold votes on: 举行关于……的投票

Senate majority leader

参议院多数党领袖 (参院多数党议员中职位最高的议员)

put forth

提出; 建议 (present)

in exchange for

作为…的交换

undocumented immigrants

非法移民

deportation /ˌdiːpɔːˈteɪʃən, ˌdiːpɔːrˈteɪʃən/

n. 驱逐出境;放逐

absent /ˈæbsənt/

prep. 缺乏;没有 (without)

filibuster /ˈfɪlɪbʌstə/

n. 无限制演讲;阻挠议事

inevitable /ɪˈnevɪtəbəl/

inevitable: adj. 难以避免的;必然发生的

House speaker

众议院议长 (美国众议院的首席)

inverse /ɪnˈvɜːs, ɪnˈvɜːrs/

adj. 反的;逆的

manoeuvre /məˈnuːvə, məˈnuːvər/

vi. 操纵,控制;使花招

right-wing /ˌraɪt ˈwɪŋ/

adj. 右翼的

derisive /dɪˈraɪsɪv/

adj. 嘲弄的;讥讽的 (sarcastic/ironic)

arguably /ˈɑːɡjuəbli, ˈɑːrɡjuəbli/

adv. 可以说;可能

sneered /snɪə, snɪr/

vt. 讥讽;嘲笑

amnesty /ˈæmnɪsti, ˈæmnəsti/

n. 赦免;大赦

reassured /ˌriːəˈʃʊə, ˌriːəˈʃʊr/

vt. 使安心;打消……的疑虑

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