[ti:Barack Obama Begins 2nd Term as President]
[ar:]
[al:IN THE NEWS]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English,
[00:06.65]this is IN THE NEWS in Special English.
[00:10.54]This week, Barack Obama began his second term
[00:14.98]as president of the United States.
[00:18.01]The public swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday
[00:22.75]at the Capitol building in Washington.
[00:25.79]In a speech, Mr. Obama read from parts of
[00:30.03]the United States Constitution
[00:32.51]and the Declaration of Independence.
[00:35.55]"What makes us exceptional,
[00:36.94]what makes us American is our allegiance
[00:42.12]to an idea articulated in a declaration
[00:44.57]made more than two centuries ago.
[00:47.16]We hold these truths to be self-evident,
[00:51.09]that all men are created equal."
[00:55.33]Officials estimated that over one million people
[00:59.36]gathered on Washington's "National Mall"
[01:02.39]for the inaugural ceremonies.
[01:04.88]Some came for the musical performances.
[01:07.97]But others wanted to hear how President Obama
[01:12.06]would define goals for the next four years.
[01:16.14]In his speech, Mr. Obama said
[01:19.67]he will make climate change one of his top goals.
[01:24.26]He said that failing to deal with the threat
[01:28.39]from rising temperatures would betray the world's children
[01:33.32]" Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science,
[01:37.08]but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires
[01:40.81]and crippling drought and more powerful storms. ".
[01:44.00]Environmental groups welcomed the president's desire
[01:49.24]to act on climate change.
[01:51.98]The Sierra Club called his comments ¡®heartening.'
[01:56.42]It said global warming is an urgent issue for the whole world.
[02:03.14]But many opponents of Mr. Obama's policies disagree.
[02:08.62]They say it would cost too much for the American economy
[02:13.71]to move away from using oil and other fossil fuels.
[02:19.34]The president raised other issues of disagreement
[02:24.52]between the Republican and Democratic Parties.
[02:27.71]For example, he made it clear that now is the time
[02:32.64]to re-examine American immigration policies.
[02:37.54]The president predicted that some immigrants
[02:41.41]could one day become the country's technological leaders.
[02:46.00]After the speech, political leaders
[02:49.18]were quick to comment on the ceremonies.
[02:52.33]Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican, thought the event was great.
[02:58.01]"I thought it was a great program, an uplifting program.
[03:00.95]I thought the music was fantastic, the poem was fantastic.
[03:04.38]The president's speech was thoughtful.
[03:06.32]I thought it was another testament
[03:09.52]to our constitution and our democracy."
[03:11.12]Democratic Congressman John Conyers praised the inaugural address.
[03:15.94]He said he thinks President Obama will make his second term
[03:21.57]even more powerful than the first.
[03:24.76]Mr. Obama said that with 10 years of war coming to an end,
[03:30.14]and the economy recovering, now is the time for America to unite.
[03:36.92]But, Republican Senator John McCain found the speech lacking.
[03:41.89]He said it failed to improve cooperation between the two parties.
[03:48.22]Yet Senator Robert Casey, a Democrat,
[03:51.87]noted that inaugural addresses are important.
[03:56.15]"I know there are cynics who say that speeches do not matter
[03:59.68]and nothing will cut through the cynicism and partisanship.
[04:06.41]But I disagree. I think all of us at our core
[04:09.34]share some basic values as Americans.
[04:12.28]And we need to be reminded of it."
[04:13.88]Mr. Obama took the oath of office on two historic Bibles.
[04:18.72]One book had been used by President Abraham Lincoln
[04:23.26]in his 1861 inauguration.
[04:26.99]The other Bible belonged to the civil rights leader
[04:31.48]Martin Luther King, Junior.
[04:33.68]People across the United States
[04:36.42]observed the Martin Luther King federal holiday on Monday.
END OF TRACK. "END OF TRACK." The two men bowed. "Whoever was that person you were talking to?" she enquired, as soon as they stood together. The took of triumph faded from her eyes, she had grown worn and weary. The roses were wilting on the walls, the lights were mostly down now. Hetty, looking in to see if anything was wanted, found herself driven away almost fiercely. I only saw Master Jervie once when he called at tea time, The year 1747 was opened by measures of restriction. The House of Lords, offended at the publication of the proceedings of the trial of Lord Lovat, summoned the parties to their bar, committed them to prison, and refused to liberate them till they had pledged themselves not to repeat the offence, and had paid very heavy fees. The consequence of this was that the transactions of the Peers were almost entirely suppressed for nearly thirty years from this time, and we draw our knowledge of them chiefly from notes taken by Horace Walpole and Lord Chancellor Hardwicke. What is still more remarkable, the reports of the House of Commons, being taken by stealth, and on the merest sufferance, are of the most meagre kind, sometimes altogether wanting, and the speeches are given uniformly under fictitious names; for to have attributed to Pitt or Pelham their[112] speeches by name would have brought down on the printers the summary vengeance of the House. Many of the members complained bitterly of this breach of the privileges of Parliament, and of "being put into print by low fellows"; but Pelham had the sense to tolerate them, saying, "Let them alone; they make better speeches for us than we can make for ourselves." Altogether, the House of Commons exhibited the most deplorable aspect that can be conceived. The Ministry had pursued Walpole's system of buying up opponents by place, or pension, or secret service money, till there was no life left in the House. Ministers passed their measures without troubling themselves to say much in their behalf; and the opposition dwindled to Sir John Hinde Cotton, now dismissed from office, and a feeble remnant of Jacobites raised but miserable resistance. In vain the Prince of Wales and the secret instigations of Bolingbroke and Doddington stimulated the spirit of discontent; both Houses had degenerated into most silent and insignificant arenas of very commonplace business. "It certainly will be. Miss Widgeon," answered Maria, with strictly "company manners." "One who has never had a brother exposed to the constant dangers of army life can hardly understand how glad we all feel to have Si snatched from the very jaws of death and brung back to us." "Just plug at 'em as you would at a crow, and then go on your way whistlin'?" persisted Harry. "Hurroo!" echoed Hennessey; "that's the ticket." "Come forward, keeper," continued the baron, "and state how these arrows came into your hands!" "Yes." HoMEJULIA¾©Ïã2018ÏÂÔØ
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