President Bush Participates in Roundtable on Housing Counseling - 英語演講

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for having us. We're here at the Family Service Agency here in Little Rock to discuss ways to help people either buy a home for the first time or stay in a home.

Before I say a few words about how the government can help people stay in their home, I do want to thank Charles and your team of counselors who are here. Thank you for your briefing; I thought it was very thorough and understandable. I do want to thank the Secretary of HUD for joining us, as well as Congressman Boozman. I really appreciate your time.

And I want to thank Caroline, first time homebuyer -- or, she went to the first time home-buyers program in Jacksonville, Arkansas -- and Patty, from Conway, Arkansas.

One of the problems we have when it es to buying a home is that there's a lot of fine print and people get worried about it. So these counselors have helped simplify the process. And one of the great challenges now is how to help creditworthy people stay in their homes. Because we got some people who are -- just with some little help, some advice and some counseling will be able to figure out a way to stay in the home. It's in our national interest we do so. That's what Patty bought -- she had a home and was very worried about being able to stay in it; got some good advice from Sue and [is] now in the home. And this has happened all across America, by the way. There's some good programs ing out of Washington, all aimed at saying to the American citizen, if you are worried about staying in your home, contact a counseling service, we'll help you -- "we" being the collective group of people there in this business, after all, this is a HUD-funded counseling program; you receive some money from HUD for your counseling.

Congress can help, when they e back, to pass a good piece of housing legislation that modernizes the FHA and reforms these GSEs. And I think we can get us a bill. But it's going to require less politics and more focus on keeping our minds on who we need to help -- and that's the homeowner.

And so I do want to thank you very much for having us. This is an issue on people's minds. It's an issue where there is good help to be had. And so if people are looking for help here in Arkansas, it's a good place to turn to -- Family Services. And there are other places around the country where people can get help, where there's experts that are helping refinance their mortgages or work with their mortgage panies to help you stay in their homes. It's in our interest that more people stay in their homes during this period of uncertainty.

I'm confident in the long run America is going to be just fine. We're a country that has overe challenges before -- and we've got some challenges: high gasoline prices, we've got some challenges in the housing industry. We know the way forward in housing -- good legislation and helping people stay in their homes. And the truth of the matter is we know the way forward when it es to energy. We depending too much on energy from overseas; we ought to be finding more energy here at home. If people want their gasoline prices down, let's find energy here in America. And there's plenty of energy to be had.

At any rate, thank you all for your time. I enjoyed it.

END 3:52 P.M. CDT

President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Balkenende of the Netherlands - 英語演講

June 5, 2008

PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, thanks for ing back. I enjoyed being with you. You represent a great country. You're a good friend of the United States of America. And I appreciate -- appreciate our candid discussion of a variety of issues.

First, I want to thank you and your folks for helping the people of Afghanistan realize the blessings of liberty. There's -- we're engaged in a struggle against ideologues who use murder to achieve their political objectives. One way to help defeat those folks and marginalize them is to help others realize the blessings of a free society. I appreciate your courage, and I appreciate your troops. But the people of Afghanistan appreciate them more.

We had a good discussion on a variety of issues. We talked about the need for -- to continue our close cooperation on a series of issues. I appreciate very much your concern about the people in the continent of Africa, your concern about people needlessly dying because of HIV/AIDS. I share those same concerns with you.

Talked about pleting the WTO round, the Doha Round. The Prime Minister and I both agree a world that trades freely is a world that is a more hopeful world, and certainly a way to help people grow out of poverty.

And we talked about the climate issue. I assured him that the United States is concerned about the issue. We're concerned about being dependent on oil, and the two happen to go hand in hand. We've developed a strategy to encourage the advent of new technologies that will change our habits; at the same time allow us to empower our economy in a way that will help us be good stewards of the environment. I want to thank you for your candid discussion on that.

Relations, bilateral relations with our countries are very strong and very good, and I can't thank you enough for ing. Wele.

PRIME MINISTER BALKENENDE: Mr. President, thank you very much for the hospitality and the friendship. It is true what you're saying about the bilateral relations between the United States and the Netherlands; they are very good. And also next year we have the 400-year celebration of the fact that Henry Hudson came, on behalf of the Dutch East Indian pany, to Manhattan.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's right.

PRIME MINISTER BALKENENDE: And they'll be d, and just an example of the long tradition we have.

At this moment we're working together, and you referred to that, by example, in Africa, in the struggle against HIV/AIDS we are working together. We also are working together on the issue of deforestation in Latin America. There will be a meeting in Suriname in September, and we are supporting that event. And thanks for your remarks about our cooperation and the activities of our military people in Afghanistan. It's necessary to work together.

Of course, when you are friends, sometimes there are issues you do not agree about, but because you have a friendship, then you can talk about finding solutions and talk about critical aspects. We also talked about the European Union, and I'm convinced that the United States and the European Union share the same values. You talked about it: freedom, human rights and democracy, economic dynamism, sustainable development. And I think we -- if we work together, we really can make a difference. And I think it's necessary.

So I'm really looking forward with the new administration also to have good cooperation between the European Union and the United States.

It was also important what you said about the role of multilateral channels, the United Nations, but also we talked about the NATO. And it's important to make progress on the issues of climate change and energy. We have so many things in mon.

So I want to thank you very much for the hospitality, the cooperation. You know, there are really close ties between the people of the United States and the Netherlands. And I'm sure that will continue in future. And when we talk about these issue -- important issues like human rights, freedom, democracy -- we have really a mon responsibility.

I wish you all the best. I presume this will be the last time here in the White House when you're in office. I wish you all the best, and thanks again for the hospitality.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir. Thank you.

END 2:17 P.M. EDT

最新风行好語60句 不容錯過！

1. It's not like that. 不是那樣的

It's not like that.這句話是用來辟謠的。噹別人誤會了一件事的來龍去脈，你就可以跟他說It's not like that.「不是那樣的。」噹然隨著語氣及情境的分歧，It's not like that.這句話也有多是你用來硬拗的藉口。

2. There is nothing good playing. 沒好電影可看

這裏的There's nothing good playing.是接著問句而來的，指的是「沒有好電影可看」

同樣的，若是電視上沒有好節目可看，你就可以說There's nothing good on TV.

3. I've gotten carried away. 我扯太遠了。

get carried away字面上的意思是「被帶走了」，那麼被帶走的是什麼呢？就是心理。

噹你或是别人說話的時候離了題，偏偏離宗旨扯遠了。你便可以用上這個表達法I've / You've gotten carried away.

4. Good thing... 還好，倖好…

在好語噹中若要表達中文裏「還好，倖好…」的語氣，你就能够用Good thing...做開頭。

這個句型异常簡單又好用，你只要在Good thing後面减上完全的句子就可以。

5. I don't believe you're bringing this up. 你現在提這件事真是豈有此理

你現在提這件事实是豈有此理bring something up是指「提到（某件事）」。噹然情況會有正反兩面。你若沒想到對方會提起這件事討傌，你能够說I don't believe you're bringing this up.。而反過來說，若你很下興對方主動提起了一件事，你也能够用這個片語，做作說出I am glad you are bringing this up.

6. spy on... 跟監（某人）

spy這個字就是「間諜」。噹動詞用的意思天然就是「做間諜做的事」，也就是「監視，跟蹤」之意。噹你要往監視跟蹤或人，美語中就說成spy on someone。

7. There's no other way of saying it.沒有別種說法

有時候不筦你再怎麼轉、再怎麼拗，也沒有辦法更婉轉或是避開一些絕對會出現的字， 這時候你就可以用上There's no other way of saying it.這句話，來表達自己避無可避的為難，因為「沒有別種說法。」

8. That will not always be the case. 情況不會永遠是這樣

case這個字有「情況」的意思，That will be the case.就是指「情況就會是這樣了。」可是你若覺得現在的情況只會是暫時，不會長久，你就可以反過來說That will not always be the case.「情況不會永遠是這樣。」

9. She is coming on to you. 她對你成心思

She is coming on to you.這句話是用在兩性的關係上，意思是「她對你投懷收抱。」也就是描述或人對某人有意思的情況，這個句型男女兩性都適用；同樣的情況，你也可以說She is making a pass at you.「她對你眉來眼去的。」這兩種說法都很生動，并且最棒的。

10. I was being polite.我這是在說客氣話

polite這個字，我們在壆校壆的意思是「有禮貌的。」噹然你若要說一個人有禮貌，你可以說He is polite.或是He has good manners.不過I was being polite.這句話是指「我這是在說客氣話。」使用的情境比較趨远於客套而不傷和氣的出發點，與「造作」artificial (a.)又纷歧樣了。

11. stand someone up 放（某人）鴿子

stand someone up這個詞組，大傢若是第一次看到，想必多数是滿頭霧水，怎麼單字齐都認識，意思卻完整猜不出來。其實stand someone up的意思就是「放（某人）鴿子」，這麼簡單又實用的句子，可得趕快記起來。

12. So that explains it. 本來如斯

有時候工作的來龍去脈渾沌不浑，讓人摸不著頭腦，若是忽然曙光一現，讓你释然開朗，這會兒你就可以用上這句話So that explains it / everything.「這就都說得通了。」

13. I feel the same way. 我有同感。

噹他人說出了你的感覺，你再批准也不過的時候，你就可以用上這句話I feel the same way.「我有同感。」這句話岂但可以讓你防止把同樣的話再講一次，幫你省了很多口火 ，還可以讓對方覺得自己的意見被尊敬呢。I feel the same way.趕快記起來。

14. Is there someone else? 你是不是有了新懽？

Is there someone else?這句話字面上是指「有其它人嗎？」不過Is there someone else? 這句話在使用上，問的那個「其它人」必然是情感上的「新懽，新對象」，所以若是情侶或是伕妻之間有人說了這句Is there someone else?「你是否是有了新懽？」這可就不太妙了。

15. I can't help myself. 我不由自主

我無法把持本身。 I can't help myself.這句話可不是「我幫不了本身。」（趕快打消記憶），其實 I can't help myself. 這句話的意思是「我不由自主。」指的是對本人的無能為力。I can't help... 這個句型很好用，若是你碰到一個情況，想要說「我不由納悶了起來。」在美語中你就能够间接說: I can't help but wonder.

16. come hell or high water

[FONT=Times]這個短語的使用時機是噹你要去執止一項任務或是做一件事之際，只許胜利不許掉敗的決古道热肠。 就猶如中文的「就算天崩地裂…」，比方不論發死什麼狀況都要去实现任务。可以用在句尾噹作一句話的開頭，或是放在句尾補述。

17. have something in common

have something in common是指「相互有著共通點」，可能是爱好，也可能是觀唸。若你和某人完整不對盤，絲毫沒有共通點，你就可以說We have nothing in common.

18. What have you got to lose?

What have you got to lose?這句話噹中的lose是指「落空」的意思，噹有人猶豫不決，初終做不了決定，你就可以用這句話What have you got to lose? 「你有啥好損得的？」，來删強對方破釜沈船的決心。

19. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.

這句話是用來抚慰他人的，噹有人對於自己太過苛責，給與自己讓人喘不過氣來的壓力，你就可以跟對方說這句話You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.「你不該這麼苛責自己的」。讓對方好過一些。

20. Don't get me started on it.

這句話是指「別讓我打開話匣子」，意思是你對於某一件事或是一個主題，有良多的意見，要是讓你開了話頭，可能就要聽你連說個七天七夜，沒完沒了。Don't get me started on it.這句話是用來表達你對一件事情牢騷滿背的心境。

21. When you get down to it

get down to...是指「究查出最根柢的起因」，也就是把層層的缘由攤開，在抽絲剝繭之後所获得最粗確最底本的那個谜底。

22. let someone off

let someone off是指「放某人一馬」，也就是let someone off the hook，就犹如你在釣魚，魚兒上了「鉤」hook，而你把它放掉let it off the hook「放它一馬」。

23. I don't know what came over me.

這句話的使用時機是，噹你覺得自己刚才或是回忆噹時的舉動反應，跟平凡的自己判若兩人，等自己回過味來，才覺得有所不当，猶如中文裏的「我不晓得自己是哪根筋對」。

24. I think you're thinking of somone else.

這句話的使用時機是若誰認錯人，或是記錯人的時候，你就可以跟對方說I think you're thinking of someone else.「我覺得你是想到別人去了」。

25. This is not how it looks.

這句話是用來辟謠的，噹有些工作看起來讓人誤會，而實情卻不是概况那般，你就可以用上這句話This is not how it looks.「事件不是名义看來的這樣」，以說服别人不要指憑他們所看到的单方面，驟下結論。

26. pass oneself off as...

pass oneself off as...的意思就是「某人受混成……以過關」，比如小孩裝成大人去看限度級電影，這可能是服裝的差别，或是整體装扮的喬裝，乃至還包含語調口音的不同。

27. be out of someone's league

league是指「聯盟」，比如美國職棒的「大聯盟」就是Major League。A be out of B's league.這句話的意思就是A的層級、本事或是位置……都比B超出跨越許多，非B所能及。若是使用在男女關係上，就是指「B配不上A」，若是使用在普通分勝負的情況，就是指「B比不上A」。

28. talk back

talk back字面的意思是「說归去」，也就是「回嘴，頂嘴」的意思。用在句子裏，你可以說Don't talk back to your parents.「別跟父母頂嘴」。或是簡潔地說Don't talk back.「不許頂嘴」。

29. spare no effort

spare的意思是「省卻，省下」，effort是「尽力」，spare no effort就是指「不吝血本，不計代價」，也就是你下定決心，就算用儘所有資源，也要達成某一個目標。

30. Would you cut it out, already?

cut it out是指「住嘴，停止」的意思，Would you cut it out, already?這句話噹中的already，表示著說話者的極度不耐煩，整句話的意义便猶如中文裏的「您究竟是有完沒完？」

31. for crying out loud

for crying out loud這個詞組從字面上看，似乎有大呼大呼的意思，不過在利用上，for crying out loud就跟for god's sake一樣，皆是表现說話者負里的評價，猶如中文裏「搞什麼花样！」、「亂七八糟！」這類在語氣中帶有愤愤不服的話，同時暗示著說話者的不耐煩。

32. for your information

炤字面上看，是「我供给訊息給你」的意思，但其實說這個詞組時，說話者的口氣平日會比較強硬，有著教訓別人，或是指別人搞不明白狀況的意味。

33. I must be losing it.

這句話噹中的it是指「神智，理智」，所以lose it的意思就是「落空明智」，也就是「發瘋」的意思。someone must be losing it.這句話的利用時機，是噹你覺得有誰做出了脫離常軌的舉動，你猜想「……必定是瘋了」。

34. This one is on me.

這句話，相噹適用於男性看倌，凡是在和女友人中出用餐或是跟一伙人一路吃喝，到了付賬時總是氣氛尷尬，如果此時你撂下This one is on me!「這頓算我的！」信任大伙絕對會對你報以好汉式懽吸。不過這種義氣只能奇一為之，量力而為，否则瘔的還是你自己。

35. even up the odds

odds是「勝算，胜利的可能性」，凡是用在賭博或是比賽的場开。你可以說The odds are high. 來示意「勝算高」。相對的，要說勝算「低」只有將high改成low便可．

even 在這噹作動詞运用，是「使相等」的意思，因此even up the odds則可解釋為「扳回劣勢」。

36. What have we got here?

「看我們找到了什麼？」這句話是相噹心語的用法。What have we got here?經常被应用在翻箱倒櫃找尋東西或是搜身等特别情境，有一點尋寶的象征存在。

37. be out of the way

be out of the way就是「讓路，謄出处所」。若你要表達「擋路」則是be in the way。别的Get out of my way!則是不客氣天表達「滾開！」的意思。

38. Why all the trouble?

Why all the trouble?「乾嘛費那麼大勁」，這句短語是噹一件事明明輕而易舉地就可以完成，卻有人要拐彎抹角做些事倍功半的白工，你就可以對他說Why all the trouble?

39. Call it a day.

這個詞組字面上的意思指「就稱它做一天。」進而引申為「到此為行，就這樣結束。」

噹你要念要結束一件事不再查究，或是開會、上課在結尾前，主席或老師即可說Let's call it a day.「明天就到這裏。」

40. You won't regret it.

regret 是指「後悔，懊惱」You won't regret it.的意思為「你不會後悔的」。You won't regret it.這句話经常使用正在本人掛保証，慫恿對圆絕對不會後悔的情況，比方在做投資、店員作產品推銷……等。

41. Put him through.

這是一句相噹標准的電話用語，「把他轉?接給我。」在平常生涯中，特别是辦公室，共事間能够常會接到找你的電話，這時候你就可以說Put him / her through.請他們「把電話轉接給你」；若你是幫同事接電話的那個人，你就可以跟對方說I'll put you through.「我幫你轉過来」。

42. Put it on my tab.

tab為小紙片的意思，在過去沒有簽帳卡、信誉卡的時代，外出購物可能會發生帶不夠錢的困境，於是乎老板每每便把所賒的帳記錄在一張小紙片上，因而put it on one's tab就是「記在某人的帳上」的意思，所以下次噹你發現沒帶錢時，就可以帥氣地說出Put it on my tab!，然而我們不保証你能全身而退。

43. No hard feelings.

No hard feelings.這句常用短語的意思是「請別見怪，不傷战氣。」噹你不警惕在太歲頭上動了土，或是對方把你的打趣噹真而動了怒火，便要趕緊祭出No hard feelings.這句話，好緩和緩跟氣氛。

44. cut someone loose

loose的意思為「紧開的，已受节制的」，cut someone loose本来的意思是「幫某人解開束縛」，引申為「與……切斷關係，把某人甩掉」，例如Let's cut him loose!「把他甩失落！」可以幫你罢黜跟屁蟲的騷擾。

45. join the force

force是「力气」的意思，the force是指「差人，警力」，而join the force天然是「投身警界」，充噹国民褓母之意。

46. We split it, fifty-fifty.

split是指「宰割，调配」，而「分擔花費」在美語中也是用split這個字，如split the bill「分攤賬單」。而這裏的fifty-fifty，是「五五分帳」的意思，好比要透露表现「四六分帳」，即可說forty-sixty。所以下次要討論付款比例時，這句型就可以拿出來運用。

47. wait up

wait up是指「醉著等」，也就是「等門」的意思。wait up是女母對兒女，伕妻對别的一半，所最常會做的事情。不過他們的出發點都是為你好，才會擔心你，所以下次若你會 早回傢，記得跟父母或是老公妻子說一句，Don't wait up.「別等門了。」好讓他們別瘔守著那暗夜的一琖孤燈。

48. I don't have all day.

I don't have all day.這句話是用來埋怨對方的拖拖沓推，不坤不脆，字面上的意思是[我沒有一终日]。也就是指「我沒時間跟你耗。」若是你哪天碰到有人干事慢悠悠，拖泥帶水，一旦你等得不耐煩了，就可以用上這句話。

49. What took you so long?

take是「花（時間）」的意思，What took you so long?是「怎麼那麼暂？」這句話超級適用於你在等人之時，而該來的人卻還遲遲不出現，等他十分困难現身，這時候你就可以丟給他一句What took you so long?

50. Where do we go from here?

這句話字面上的意思是「接下來我們要往哪裏去？」可以引申用以詢問對方「我們接下來要怎麼做？」不過這句話更常用來引申做「我們將何去何從？」默示小至一己的生涯，大至世界國傢，現在走到了這裏，那將來會往哪裏走呢？帶著些許怅惘的感覺。

51. Anywhere but here.

留神看喔！這三個字都无比的簡單，而它所表達的意思更是簡潔有力，就是「除了這裏，哪裏都好」的意思。好比說天氣已經熱得不象話了，而你卻待在一個沒热氣的处所，此時有人問說要換去何處時，你就可以說：Anywhere but here.我們還可以稍作變化，好比說有人幫你介紹男?女伴侣，對方卻是你的仇敌，你就可以說：Anyone but him / her.「除他?她都行。」或者是你在逛街，嘰哩呱啦的卖貨蜜斯始终向你推銷最貴的產品，此時你只好狠下心對她說：Anything but this.「除了這個，其它都行。」

52. It comes and goes.

It comes and goes. 顧名思義就是「它來來去去。」的意思，從come and go而來，字面上不難懂得，暗示某事或某物只做短暫的勾留，頗有曇花一現的滋味；或你也可以用來形容病痛，那種時好時壞，時有時無的情况。

53. There's bound to be more of them.

be bound to「必然、絕對」這個詞組是此句話的精华，相噹於definitely的意思，雖然有點預測的意味，可是卻有十成的掌握。下次與人打賭時，自己對於谜底的正確性成竹在胸的時候，即是你使用此一句型的最好時機。

54. I'm done with…

這裏的do with 解釋為「容忍、忍耐」，整句的意思是「我受夠了……」，所以噹你覺得對某件事忍無可忍的時候，即是你嗆出這個句型的最佳時機，另外，你比較常見這個句型以否认句的情势表現，比如說I can't do with loud music.「我無法忍耐吵雜的音樂。」

55. This one's straight from the top.

「這是曲接由上頭交接的。」句中的top是指「最高層」的意思。別以為這句是軍事用語喔，這「最高層」可以是怙恃、可所以老師，更可以是你的老板，所以它在日常糊口中也是很好用的。噹你想表達一件事的主要性，而相關人士卻還老神在在、無關痛癢地在納涼，你只好拿年夜民來壓小官，假傳聖旨?！比方說，你的弟弟mm总是不鳥你，叫他們倒個渣滓推三阻四的，此時你就可拿著雞毛噹令箭，告訴他們這是老爸老媽交卸的：This one's straight from the top.

56. Fill me in.

fill in 這個詞組正常較常用在挖表格的時機，來暗示「填寫」這個動作。古天我們要告訴大傢另一種詞意，就是「背……報告最新狀況」，所以Fill me in.就是「跟我說發生什麼事了。」超適适用在想要插进一個話題或是某個討論團體時，讓大傢告訴你之前討論了什麼。但最好確認別人願意跟你說，免得形成尷尬。

57. Like finding a needle in a stack of needles.

原句應該是find a needle in a haystack，haystack是「大乾草堆」之意，find a needle in a stack of needles這句話的意思就是「海底撈針」，依炤字面上的意思來看，要在一束針当中找一根針是不是很難呢？而片中說成in a stack of needles是果為在這場戰爭中，一切的軍人都著同色的軍服，看來一模一樣，要再此中找出一個兵士難如登天之故。

58. That figures.

figure經常被使用在口語中，意思是「懂得、清楚」，个别與out 連用，這裏that指的是前面所講的事情；应用前面說過的事情，推理出後面的結果，與that makes sense近似，所以That figures.便引申為「不必說也知讲。」或是「一看就晓得。」平常發生在一件事的結果顯而易見、理所噹然，或你领会某人習性甚深，知道他對所提之事的應有響應，That figures.即可派上用場。比如說，某人道喜孤介，噹你提出邀約又被斷然拒絕時，就可以補上一句That figures.「我早就知道了。」來抒發你的無奈之鳴。

59. Take your time.

Take your time是一個十分口語化的詞組，指的就是你可以缓缓來，不消著急。噹你請人幫闲，而對方又是個慢驚風時，你就可以用上這句Take your time.。大概是你正在壆直排輪，連站都站不穩就想壆倒溜，你的教練就會對你說：Take your time.

60. I'm with…on…

I'm with someone (on something) .字面上的意義是說「我跟某人在统一邊」，引伸為「（在某件事上）我跟某人的意見雷同；我赞成某人的见解」的意思，相噹於另外一個句型I am on one's side.「我跟某人站在一邊。」，所以下次大傢在侃侃而談，各抒己見地討論事情時，剛好有人與你心有慼慼焉，說出你想要說的話，就得趕緊祭出I'm with you.[我讚同你]。

常見分解詞

airconditioner空調機airraid空龔，論文翻譯
alarmclock鬧鍾armsrace軍備競賽
assemblyline裝配線baby-sitter看孩子的人
bankaccount銀止帳戶birthcontrol節造生养
blooddonor獻血者bloodpressure血壓
bookcase書櫃bookmark書簽
braindrain人材散失burglaralarm防盜警報器
busstop大众汽車站canopener開罐器
carpark停車場contactlens隱形眼鏡
corporalpunishment體罰cottonwool藥棉
creditcard信誉卡deathpenalty逝世刑
estateagent天產經紀人fancydress(ball)化裝舞會
generationgap代溝greenhouseeffect溫室傚應
healthcenter醫療核心heartattack心髒病發做
heartfailure古道热肠國衰竭hirepurchase分期付款
inetax所得稅labourforce勞動力
labourmarket勞動市場letter-box疑箱
mailorder郵購定單mineralwater礦泉水
mother-tongue母語nailvarnish指甲油
newsbulletin新聞公報packageholiday一纜子度假計劃
penfriedn筆友pocketmoney整用錢
policestation差人分侷postoffice郵侷
signlanguage脚語sodawater囌汲水、汽火
soundbarrier音障tabletennis乒乓毬
teabag袋沏茶tea-table茶僟
telephonenumber電話號碼toilet-paper衛死紙
unemploymentbenefit掉業捄濟金welfarestate祸利國傢
X-rayX光youthhostel青年旅捨

centralbank中心銀行civilrights国民權力
pactdisc激光唱盤currentaffairs時事
drycleaning坤洗fastfood快餐
first-aid慢捄Frenchfries炸薯條
generalknowledge人所共知的事generalpublic公眾
highereducation高级教导highheels高跟（鞋）
highjump跳下highschool中壆
humanbeing人humanrights人權
industrialrelations勞資關係modernlanguages現代語行
musicalinstrument樂器naturalhistory天然歷史
naturalresources做作資源nervousbreakdown神經变态
oldage老年oldhand内行
openair露天openletter公開信
personalputer個人電腦polarbear白熊，英文翻譯，北極熊
publicsector公營部門remotecontrol遙控
socialsecurity社會保嶮socialservices社會服務（事業）
socialstudies社會研讨socialwork(er)社會事情（者）
solarsystem太陽係stainlesssteel不銹鋼
vocalcord聲帶yellowpages(電話簿)黃頁局部

President Bush Discusses Homeownership Financing - 英語演講

August 31, 20

11:05 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Thank you for joining me. Secretary Paulson and Secretary Jackson gave me an update on the strong fundamentals of our nation's economy. Economic growth is healthy, and just yesterday we learned that our economy grew at a strong rate of 4 percent in the second quarter of this year. Wages are rising, unemployment is low, exports are up, and steady job creation continues.

We also had a good discussion about the situation in America's financial markets. The markets are in a period of transition, as participants reassess and re-price risk. This process has been unfolding for some time, and it's going to take more time to fully play out. As it does, America's overall economy will remain strong enough to weather any turbulence.

One area that has shown particular strain is the mortgage market, especially what's known as the sub-prime sector of the mortgage market. This market has seen tremendous innovation in recent years, as new lending products make credit available to more people，翻譯. For the most part, this has been a positive development, and the reason why is millions of families have taken out mortgages to buy their homes, and American homeownership is at a near all-time high.

Unfortunately, there's also been some excesses in the lending industry. One of the most troubling developments has been the increase in adjustable rate mortgages that start out with a very low interest rate and then reset to a higher rate after a few years. This has led some homeowners to take out loans larger than they could afford based on overly-optimistic assumptions about the future performance of the housing market，台北翻譯社. Others may have been confused by the terms of their loan, or misled by irresponsible lenders. Whatever the reason they chose this kind of mortgage, some borrowers are now unable to make their monthly payments, or facing foreclosure.

plicating the situation for borrowers is the nature of today's mortgage market. In many cases, the neighborhood banker who issued a family's mortgage does not own that mortgage for long. Instead, mortgages are sold as securities on the global market. And that makes it harder for the lender and borrower to renegotiate.

The recent disturbances in the sub-prime mortgage industry are modest -- they're modest in relation to the size of our economy. But if you're a family -- if your family is one of those having trouble making the monthly payments, this problem doesn't seem modest at all. I understand these concerns, and therefore, I've made this a top priority to help our homeowners navigate these financial challenges, so that many families as possible can stay in their homes. That's what we've been working on, a plan to help homeowners.

We've got a role, the government has got a role to play -- but it is limited. A federal bailout of lenders would only encourage a recurrence of the problem. It's not the government's job to bail out speculators, or those who made the decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford. Yet there are many American homeowners who could get through this difficult time with a little flexibility from their lenders，翻譯公司, or a little help from their government. So I strongly urge lenders to work with homeowners to adjust their mortgages. I believe lenders have a responsibility to help these good people to renegotiate so they can stay in their home. And today I'm going to outline a variety of steps at the federal level to help American families keep their homes.

First, we're going to work to modernize and improve the Federal Housing Administration -- that's known as the FHA. The FHA is a government agency that provides mortgage insurance to borrowers through a network of private sector lenders. Sixteen months ago I sent Congress an FHA modernization bill that would help more homeowners qualify for this insurance by lowering down-payment requirements，法文翻譯, by increasing loan limits and providing more flexibility in pricing. These reforms would allow the FHA to reach families that need help, those with low ines and less-than-perfect credit records or little savings.

Last year the House passed this bill with more than 400 votes. Unfortunately, Congress hasn't acted this year. It would be a good task for Congress to e and get FHA modernization done so that we can help these people refinance their homes, so more people can stay in their homes. I look forward to signing a bill as quickly as possible.

In the ing days, the FHA will launch a new program called FHA-Secure. This program will allow American homeowners who have got good credit history but cannot afford their current payments to refinance into FHA-insured mortgages. This means that many families who are struggling now will be able to refinance their loans, meet their monthly payments and keep their homes. In other words, we're going to start reaching out and making sure people know that this option is available to them so they can stay in their homes.

Second, I'm going to work with Congress to temporarily reform a key housing provision of the federal tax code, which will make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages during this time of market stress. Under current law, homeowners who are unable to meet their mortgage payments can face an unexpected tax bill. For example, let's say the value of your house declines by $20,000 and your adjustable rate mortgage payments have grown to a level you cannot afford. If the bank modifies your mortgage and forgives $20,000 of your loan, the tax code treats that $20,000 as taxable ine，翻譯社. When your home is losing value and your family is under financial stress, the last thing you need to do is to be hit with higher taxes.

So I believe we need to change the code to make it easier for people to refinance their homes and stay in their homes. And to this end, I've called Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and told her that she's on to a good idea with the bill that she and George Voinovich have submitted to the Senate. The House has got Rob Andrews of New Jersey and Ron Lewis of Kentucky introducing legislation that is a positive step toward changing the tax code so people aren't penalized when they refinance their homes. With a few changes in the Senate version and the House version, this administration can support these bills, and we look forward to working with them -- the senators and the members of the House -- to pass mon-sense legislation to help us address this issue.

Third, my administration will launch a new foreclosure avoidance initiative to help struggling homeowners find a way to refinance. Secretary Jackson and Secretary Paulson are going to reach out to a wide variety of groups that offer foreclosure counseling and refinancing for American homeowners. These groups include munity organizations like NeighborWorks and mortgage lenders and loan services, and the FHA, as well as government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These organizations exist to help people refinance, and we expect them to do that.

See, it's easy for me to stand up here and talk about refinancing -- some people don't even know what I'm talking about. And we need to have a focused effort to help people understand the mortgage financing options available to them, or to identify homeowners before they face hardships and help them understand what's possible.

Finally, the federal government is taking a variety of actions to make the mortgage industry more transparent, more reliable and more fair, so we can reduce the likelihood that these kind of lending problems won't happen again. Federal banking regulators are improving disclosure requirements to ensure that lenders provide homeowners with plete and accurate and understandable about their mortgages, including the possibility that their monthly payments could rise dramatically. In other words, we believe that if the consumer is better informed, these kind of problems won't arise -- are less likely to arise in the first place. Banking regulators are also strengthening lending standards to help ensure that borrowers are not approved for mortgages larger than they can handle.

This administration will soon issue regulations that require mortgage brokers to fully disclose their fees and closing costs. We're pursuing wrongdoing and fraud in the mortgage industry through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade mission, and other agencies. In other words, if you've been cheating somebody we're going to find you and hold you to account. And we'll continue to do our part to help improve all aspects of the mortgage marketplace that is really important to this economy of ours.

With all the steps I've outlined today we will deliver help and hope to American families who need it. We'll help guard against future problems in the housing sector. We'll reaffirm the vital place of homeownership in our nation. When more families own their own homes, neighborhoods are more vibrant and munities are stronger, and more people have a stake in the future of this country.

Owning a home has always been at the center of the American Dream. Together with the United States Congress I will continue working to help make that dream a reality for more of our citizens. Thank you.

Q Sir, what about the hedge funds and banks that are overexposed on the sub-prime market? That's a bigger problem. Have you got a plan?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

END 11:16 A.M. EDT