President (n.總統) Barack Obama (n.奧巴馬) on Wednesday blamed (v.歸咎) the anemic (adj.疲弱的) economy for the "shellacking" (n.一敗塗地) his fellow (adj.同事的) Democrats (n.民主黨成員) experienced in this week's midterm (n.中期) elections (n.選舉), but he acknowledged (v.承認) his policies hadn't done enough to bring down (v.降低) high unemployment (n.失業率).
His administration (n.政府) has "stabilized (v.穩定)" the economy and spurred (v.刺激) private-sector (adj.私營機構的) hiring (n.聘用), "but people all across America (n.美國) aren't feeling that progress," Obama said in a news conference (n.新聞發布會) the day after Republicans (n.共和黨成員) seized (v.奪取) majority control of the House (n.眾議院) and whittled down (v.減少) the Democratic (adj.民主黨的) majority in the Senate (n.參議院).
"If right now we had 5 percent unemployment instead of 9.6 percent unemployment, then people would have more confidence in those policy choices," Obama said.
According to projections (n.預測), voters (n.選民) replaced at least 60 Democrats in the House of Representatives (n.眾議院), returning control of the chamber (n.議會) to Republicans, who lost it in 2006. In the Senate, Democrats lost at least six seats (n.議席) but retained (v.維持) control of the chamber.
(CNN, November 3)
總統奧巴馬周三說，民主黨黨友在本星期的中期選舉中“一敗塗地”；他歸咎於疲弱的經濟，但也承認自己的政策未足以把失業率降低。
共和黨奪取了眾議院的大多數議席，得以控制該院；民主黨雖在參議院仍佔大多數，但議席也減少了。奧巴馬在當天召開新聞發布會，表示他的政府已“穩定了”經濟，並刺激了私營機構的職位數目，“但美國各地人民並不感到這方面的進展”。
奧巴馬說：“假如我們現時的失業率是百分之五，而不是9.6%，人民便會對那些政策抉擇有更大信心。”
根據預測，選民把眾議院至少60名民主黨議員逐出議會，令共和黨重奪在2006年失去了的控制權。在參議院，民主黨失去了至少六個議席，但仍然維持議會控制權。
（美國“有線電視新聞網”，11月3日）
閱讀指引
1.shellacking (n) /?瓿?瑆'l?紓k?笈?痯/，sha-LACK-king 痛毆、一敗塗地
解讀：名詞shellac本指由一種雌性昆蟲分泌的物體，中文叫蟲膠；它後來發展為動詞，解作用蟲膠塗刷；後來再引申指痛毆，以至各式各樣的一敗塗地；現在分詞shellacking充當名詞，意思差不多；shellacking尚可讀如SHELL-lack-king，即重音在首音節。
2.anemic (adj) /?瑆'ni:m?笈k/，a-NEE-mick 貧血的、疲弱的
解讀：名詞anemia（這是美式拼法，英式是anaemia）解作貧血、貧血症，形容詞anemic / anaemic本指貧血的、患貧血症的，例如︰You look anemic（你看起來像貧血）；anemic因而引申指疲弱的、有氣無力的。
3.senate (n) /'sen?瑆t/，SEN-nut 參議院、上議院
解讀：不少國家的議會都分為上議院／參議院和下議院／眾議院，例如美國的參議院便叫senate，這時要首字母大寫和前面有定冠詞，即寫作the Senate；美國眾議院則叫the House或the House of Representatives；英國的上下議院則叫House of Lords和House of Commons。
