英语演讲原文：奥巴马演讲 呼吁国会创造就业机会

奥巴马演讲呼吁国会创造就业机会

Hi, everybody.

I'm here in Ohio, where I've spent the past couple days talking with folks about our central challenge as a country. Not just reclaiming 1 all the jobs lost to the recession, but reclaiming the economic security that so many Americans have lost over the last decade. Our mission isn't just to put people back to work, it's to rebuild an economy where that work pays; an economy in which everyone who works hard has the chance to get ahead.

For months, I've been pushing Congress to pass several common-sense ideas that will help us do that. And on Friday, I signed into law a bill that will do two things for the American people.

First, it will keep thousands of construction workers on the job rebuilding our nation's infrastructure 2 （基础设施） . Second, it will keep interest rates on federal student loans from doubling this year which would have hit more than seven million students with about a thousand dollars more on their loan payments. Those steps will make a real difference in the lives of millions of Americans.

But make no mistake: we've got more to do. The construction industry was hit brutally 3 hard when the housing bubble burst. So it's not enough to just keep construction workers on the job doing projects that were already underway.

For months, I've been calling on Congress to take half the money we're no longer spending on war and use it to do some nation-building here at home. There's work to be done building roads and bridges and wireless 4 networks.And there are hundreds of thousands of construction workers ready to do it.

The same thing is true for our students. The bill I'm about to sign is vital for millions of students and their families. But it's not enough to just keep their student loan rates from doubling.

For months, I've been calling on Congress to reform and expand the financial aid that's offered to students. I've been asking them to help us give two million Americans the opportunity to learn the skills that businesses in their area are looking for Right now—through partnerships 5 between community colleges and employers.

In America, a higher education cannot be a luxury reserved for just a privileged few. It's an economic necessity that every American family should be able to afford.

Finally, I want to thank every American who took the time to sit down and write a letter, type out an e-mail, make a phone call or send a tweet hoping your voice would make a difference. I promise you—your voice made all the difference. And as long as I have the privilege（特权，优待） of being your President, your voice will be heard in the White House.

Thanks and have a great weekend.

■文章重点单词注释：

1

reclaiming

v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。

来自《简明英汉词典》

How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢？来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2

infrastructure

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。

We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3

brutally

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。

A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

4

wireless

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

5

partnerships

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。来自英汉非文学 - 政

府文件

It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。来自辞典例句