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一月份第 18 课

Obama Speech to Focus on Income Inequality, Immigration
欧巴马国情咨文侧重收入不均和移民改革
　　U.S. President Barack Obama will address the huge income gap between the poorest and wealthiest Americans when he delivers the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night before a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
美国总统欧巴马星期二晚间在美国国会发表国情咨文演说时，将谈到最富裕的美国人与最贫穷的美国人之间不断扩大的收入差距。

　　The president has been unsuccessful in urging lawmakers to approve an increase in the U.S. minimum wage rate since raising the issue in last year's State of the Union speech.
欧巴马总统在去年的国情咨文中就提到了这一问题，但他一直无法说服议员通过提高美国最低工资的法案。

　　Mr. Obama will repeat the call in Tuesday's speech, and will announce plans to sign an executive order increasing the minimum wage for employees of companies signing new contracts with the federal government.
欧巴马在星期二的演说中将重新发出这一呼吁，他还将宣佈，他计划签署一道行政令，规定凡是与联邦政府签订新合同的公司，都必须提高僱员的最低工资。

　　The order -- which will increase contractors' minimum wages from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour -- is one of the many Mr. Obama plans to issue this year in his strategy to enact his priorities without seeking approval of Congress, which is bitterly divided between a Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democratic-led Senate.
这项行政令将把政府承包商员工的最低工资从目前的每小时 7.25 美元增加到 10.10 美元；这是欧巴马今年计划颁佈的多项行政令之一；共和党人主控的眾议院和民主党人主控的参议院相争不下；為了落实他的施政重点，欧巴马今年打算採取的策略是直接下达行政令而不必寻求国会批准。

　　Mr. Obama will also urge the full Congress to pass an immigration reform measure that passed in the Senate last year.
欧巴马还将敦促国会全院通过参议院已在去年批准的移民改革法案。

　　The bill stalled in the House under intense opposition from conservative lawmakers, but there are signs of growing support for the bill among House Republican leaders.
这项法案在眾议院搁浅，保守派议员强烈反对这项议案；不过有跡象显示，眾院共和党领导层中间对这项议案的支援有所增加。

Ukraine Parliament Repeals Anti-Protest Laws
乌克兰议会废除反抗议法
　　Ukraine's parliament has repealed a controversial set of laws restricting public protests, while Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has offered his resignation in what the government says is an effort to encourage political compromise.
乌克兰议会废除了一系列限制公开抗议的有争议的法律，同时，乌克兰总理阿扎罗夫递交辞呈，政府方面说，这是為了鼓励政治妥协。

　　Ukraine's government website announced the news of the resignation Tuesday, publishing a statement by Mr. Azarov that says he wants to encourage "social-political compromise,".
乌克兰政府网站星期二宣佈了总理辞职的消息，并公佈了阿扎罗夫的声明；声明说，他希望鼓励 “社会-政治妥协”。

　　After two months of protests that have recently culminated with violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
乌克兰的抗议活动已经持续了两个月，并在近期发展為示威者和警察之间的暴力衝突。

　　He said he hoped his resignation, which still must be accepted by President Viktor Yanukovych, will create an opportunity for the peaceful settlement of the country's political crisis.
阿扎罗夫说，他希望他的辞职将為和平解决国家的政治危机创造机会；他的辞职尚需得到总统亚努科维奇的批准。

　　Hours later, parliament approved the repeal of the anti-protest laws, which had sparked some violent anti-government protests in Kyiv and elsewhere.
几个小时后，议会批准废除反抗议法；这些法律在基辅和其他地方激起了一些反政府暴力抗议活动。

　　But President Yanukovych said amnesty for dozens of protesters arrested at the demonstrations will only be implemented if activists take down their barricades and leave the streets.
不过，总统亚努科维奇说，只有在活动人士拆除路障并离开街头之后，他才能对几十名示威期间被捕的抗议者实行大赦。