英语学习材料.docx

英语学习材料.docx

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英语学习材料

1

IftheUnitedStatesgovernmentshutsdowntonightandoureconomytakesahit,itwillbebecauseHouseRepublicansletithappen.

Rightnow,there'sabillsittingintheHousethatfundsthegovernmentforafewmoreweeks.Itdoesn'tdemandtherepealordelayofthehealthcarelaw,ordenywomenaccesstobirthcontrol,orincludeanyotherfailed,partisanproposals.Itfundsthegovernment.That'sit.AndifRepublicanleadershipallowedasimpleyesornovoteonthisbill--liketheSenatehas--itwouldgetenoughsupportfrommembersofbothpartiestopass.

Instead,thegovernmentthattheseRepublicanswereelectedtofundwillclosedownandthatwillhurtoureconomy.Americansacrossthecountrywon'tbeallowedtoshowupforwork.Paycheckscouldbedelayed,meaningsomefolkswillhavetocutbackongroceriesormaybeevennotpayafewbills.Businesseswillhavefewercustomers.Veteranswon'tgetservicestheyrelyon--anditwillputbenefitsforseniorsatrisk.

Eventhoughthey'vealreadyvotedover40timestodefundordelaythehealthcarelaw,thisgroupofRepublicansinCongressissoobsessedwiththeideaofsabotagingObamacarethatthey'rewillingtotaketheeconomyhostagetodoit.

TakealookathowthisshutdownwillaffectmillionsofAmericans--andthenmakesureyoushareitsootherfolksknow,too.

PresidentObamahassaidtimeandtimeagainthathe'swillingtoworkwithfolksonbothsidesoftheaisletogrowoureconomyandevenimprovethehealthcarelaw.Butusingthethreatofgovernmentshutdownordefaultingonthebillsourcountryowesisrecklessandirresponsible.

Infact,shuttingdownthegovernmentwon'tstopObamacare.TheHealthInsuranceMarketplacewillstillopenforbusinessstartingtomorrow,withoutdelay.

Washingtonneedstostopmanufacturingcrisesandfocusontheissuesthatmatter:

creatingjobsandbuildingastrongmiddleclass.Takingoureconomyoverthecliffjusttoscorepoliticalpointsisn'tfairtothemillionsofAmericanswhoshowupeverydaytoworkanddotheirjobs.It’stimeforCongresstodoitsjob

2

IntheearlyhoursofSeptember15,2008,fiveyearsagolastSunday,LehmanBrothersannounceditwouldfileforChapter11bankruptcyprotection.Lehmanwasagiantofthefinancialsystem--thefourth-largestinvestmentbankintheUS,afirmthatemployedthousandsofbrokersandanalysts,withbillionsinassetsthatweresuddenlyworthless--anditscollapsesentshockwavesthroughtheglobaleconomy.

Suddenly,itwasobviousthatthenextpresidentoftheUnitedStateswouldinheritastaggeringeconomiccrisis.ButthechallengethatPresidentObamawasforcedtoconfrontdidn'tjustbeginin2008.EvenbeforeLehmanBrothers,middle-classsecurityhadbeenslowlyerodingfordecadesasjobsbecameobsoleteorwereshippedoverseas.

Soaswemarkthisanniversary,we'veaskedseniorstafffromacrosstheObamaadministrationtositdownandtalkaboutthemomentwhenkeydecisionsweremade--thefactorstheyweighed,theresultsoftheactionsthatPresidentObamatook.Whatwe'veputtogetherisabehind-the-sceneslookofthedecision-makingprocessthatyouwon'tfindanywhereelse.

CheckoutthestoryofAmerica'srecovery,thenshareitwithyourfriends.

Bytheendof2008,theeconomywasshrinkingbyanannualrateofmorethan8percent,ourbusinesseswereshedding800,000jobsamonth,andcreditwasfrozenforfamiliesandsmallbusinesses.WewereinthemidstoftheworsteconomiccrisissincetheGreatDepression.OnthedaythatIfirstbeganworkingintheWhiteHousein2009,theautoindustrywasonthebrinkofcollapseandthePresidentwaswrestlingwithhowtohelpthemillionsoffamiliesinthousandsofcommunitieswhowouldhavebeendevastatedifthemotorcompaniesdied.

That'sthelensthroughwhichPresidentObamasawhisresponsibilities,andit'saconsistentthemeinallthestorieswe'vecollected.Everydecisionhemadewasmeanttostoptheeconomyfromspiralingoutofcontrol,putpeoplebacktowork,andreversethetrendsthathadbuffetedmiddleclassfordecades.Thetaskwasnothingshortofmonumental--toclearawaytherubbleofthecrisisandlaydownanewfoundationforsustainedeconomicgrowthintheUnitedStates.

There'snodiminishingtheseverityofthechallengewe'veovercometogether,andwe’vegotalotmoreworktodotorebuildaneconomywhereeveryonewhoworkshardhasachancetogetahead.ButfiveyearsafterLehmanBrothersbankruptcy,wewanttohelpeveryonegetthecontextandseethefullpicture.

3

Acoupleweeksago,IwasinameetingwithagroupofcommunityleadersandPresidentObamahereattheWhiteHouse.Beforethediscussionkickedoff,oneofthewomeninattendancehandedmealetter.Itwaswrittenbyherdad,a90yearoldcollegeprofessorfromCleveland.

HewasborninChinain1923,andhecametotheUnitedStateswith$24inhispocket.Twoyearslater,he'dearnedamastersinelectricalengineering.Fiveyearsafterthat,hehadcompletedhisPhD.In55yearsofteaching,he'strained180graduatestudents.

"Ifulfilledmydream,"hewroteinthatletter."Ilightupaspotonthegreatnationofopportunity."

Hisletterremindedmeofmydad,whocameherefromBoliviatostudyengineering,andlivedhisAmericandreaminMichigan,whereIwasborn.SomanyAmericanshavestorieslikethese,andthey'reallpowerful.Eachpersonalhistoryisanimportantassetinthefighttoreformtheimmigrationsystem.Towinthedebate,weneedmorethanstatisticsinafactsheetortherhetoricinapressrelease.Everytimeweputafaceonthepushforreform,wetakeanabstractconceptandmakesitreal.

4

Inthepastfewweeks,peoplefromalloverthecountryhavewrittenintotheWhiteHousetosharethestoriesofhowtheirfamiliescametoAmerica.Eachonewereadisareminderthatmanyofusshareasimilarexperience.That'scertainlytrueformyownfamily--myparentscameasnewlywedsfromBolivia.ThesearenarrativesthatWashingtonneedstohearasthistowndebatestherightwaytoreformourbrokenimmigrationsystem.

AttheWhiteHouse,we'renodifferentfromanyotherofficeanywhereelseinAmerica.Asateam,wehavealotofstoriesthatbeganoutsidetheUnitedStates.

Tohelpmakethisanactualdialogueaboutwhoweareasacountry,wethoughtwe'dsharesomeofthosestorieswithyou.

That'swhyweputtogetherthisvideo.Watchit,thenpassitalongtohelpgetaconversationgoinginyourcommunityaboutyourAmericanimmigrationstories.

PresidentObamawantstheresultofthisdebatetobelegislationthatreflectswhoweareasacountry--asmuchanationoflawsasweareanationofimmigrants.AndhewantshisWhiteHousetoreflectwhoweareasapeople--individualsfromdifferentcircumstancesunitedbyasharedsetofvaluesandacommonsetofgoals.

Thisissueispersonal,asmuchformycolleagueshereasforpeopleanywhereelse.AndthethingIloveaboutthisvideoisthatthesefolkshelptomakeitclearwhyit’simportanttofixthisbrokensystem.Allofthemarefulfillinghugedreams,andifothersgetthechancetohavethatsameopportunity,we'llallbenefitasanation.

AndifmorepeopleunderstandthatthemotivationforthisreformisaboutlivinguptoourvaluesasAmericans,itwillbeeasiertogetthisdone.

5

Thisweek,wegotsomebignewsabouttheimmigrationreformbill.It'salittlewonky,butit'ssogreatthatIcouldn'twaittoshareitwithyou.

ThenonpartisanexpertswhoestimatethefinancialimpactoflegislationforCongressconcludedthatbecauseundocumentedimmigrantswillstartpayingmoreintaxesforthingslikeeducationandSocialSecurity,theimmigrationproposalintheSenatewillmaketheeconomyfairerformiddleclassfamilieswhilecuttingtheU.S.deficitbyalmost$1,000,000,000,000overthenexttwodecades.

Witheverypassingday,it’sbecomingclearthatwecan’taffordnottoact.Nowweknowexactlyhowmuchisatstake,andit'sthekindofnewsthatcanhelptochangethepolicyconversationinWashington.

Sowe'veputtogetheragraphicthatexplainsexactlyhowthisworks,andweneedyourhelptoshareit.Ifmorepeoplegetthefacts,it'llbeeasiertobuildanationwide,bipartisanconsensustogetthisdone.

6

Thecarbonpollutionthatcausesclimatechangeisn'tadistantthreat,therisktopublichealthisn'tahypothetical,andit'sclearwehaveamoralobligationtoact.

The12hottestyearsonrecordhaveallcomeinthelast15years,and2012wasthehottestonewe'veeverrecorded.Whencarbonpollutestheair,theriskofasthmaattacksincreases.WhentheEarth'satmospherefundamentallychanges,weseemoreheatwaves,droughts,wildfires,andfloods.

Theseeventsalsocreateaneconomicimperativetoact.Whenfarmswashawayandcropswilt,foodpricesgoup.Lastyear,wesaw11differentweatherdisastersthateachcosttheUnitedStatesmorethan$1billion.

Andconfrontingthischallengeisn'tjustaboutpreventingdisaster--it'salsoaboutmovingAmericaforwardinawaythatcreateshundredsofthousandsofgood,new,cleanenergyjobs.It'saboutwastinglessenergy,whichsavesmoneyforeverybusinessandeveryfamilyinAmerica.

Sothedebate'sover.It'stimeforaction.

Here'swhatPresidentObamaisannouncingtoday.Checkitout,thenhelptospreadtheword.

First,he'slayingoutaplantocutcarbonpollutioninAmerica--byworkingtocutpollutionfrompowerplants,protectthehealthofourkids,boostcleanenergy,andrevampourtransportationsectorforthe21stcentury.Second,he'spreparingtheUnitedStatesfortheimpactsofthesechanges--bybuildingstronger,safercommunitiesanddeveloping