【新闻背景】
美国两党在提高债务上限问题上即将达成一致，以免美国政府发生债务违约。两党领导人2011年7月31日上午将对国会议员通告最新进展，为接下来的投票做准备。 参议院定于2011年7月31日下午对该方案举行程序性投票。如果方案获得通过，还要举行最终投票，之后返回众议院再投票。如果这项方案能够得到国会两院批准，方可提交总统奥巴马签署成为法律，使美国政府免于债务违约。 美国财政部数据显示，美国联邦政府到2011年5月16日已经突破14.29万亿美元的法定举债上限，如果国会不能在2011年8月2日前提高债务上限，美国政府将面临违约风险。分析人士普遍预计，美国两党在最后一刻会达成妥协，避免违约打击本已十分严峻的美国经济。
【听力破解】
1. 0’01” The United States Senate and House of Representatives are due to vote on a bill to raise the limit on US borrowing ahead of a deadline to avert an unprecedented debt default.此句较长，但ahead of（在……以前）可以帮助我们划分句子结构，由其引导的ahead of a deadline to avert an unprecedented debt default作为状语成分补充说明的是前面的vote on a bill to raise the limit on US borrowing，也就是说“美国参议院和众议院即将针对提高债务限额的法案进行投票是要赶在前所未有的债务违约发生之前”，因此在听新闻时一定要注意听清楚这些关键词。 2. 0’30” The business of selling Sunday’s deal has begun, but politicians are holding their noses even as they urge colleagues to support it.此句中出现的holding their noses的字面意思为“捂住鼻子，捏住鼻子”，但显然这里不能这样理解。继续听下一句，我们在听到not proud of（不为……感到自豪）和rancorous（怀有恶意）这样的词汇后，就可以大致推断政客们对于该法案的态度是消极的，于是holding their noses在这里可引申为“极度不满”。 3. 0’50” People on the right are upset; people on the left are upset; people in the middle are upset.此句中的are被弱读为[?]，与以辅音这[t]结尾的right连读为[rait?]，这样are极容易被忽略，听者需仔细聆听。此外，播音员在句中3个upset后都有停顿并伴有语调上扬，向我们强调了右派、左派和中间派都很失望，呼应了前面的No one got what they wanted（没有人如愿以偿）的事实。
【新闻正文】The United States Senate and House of Representatives are due to vote on a bill to raise the limit on US borrowing ahead of a deadline to avert an unprecedented debt default. Democratic and Republican party leaders in Washington reached agreement late on Sunday on a proposal to raise the $14.3tn limit. Global financial markets have been nervous over the prospect that the US might not have enough money to meet its financial obligations. Paul Adams reports from Washington. The business of selling Sunday’s deal has begun, but politicians are holding their noses even as they urge colleagues to support it. In the Senate, the Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was not proud of the rancorous process that led to it, but he held it up as an example of American democracy at work. “No one got what they wanted. Everyone had to give something up.People on the right are upset; people on the left are upset; people in the middle are upset. It was a compromise.” There is, as Mr. Reid says, plenty for everyone to dislike. The president has not been able to get Republicans to agree to tax increases. The Republicans have had to agree to a longer extension of the debt ceiling than they wanted.And both sides know that if they fail to agree on a spending plan by the end of November, then domestic social programmes and defence will face automatic cuts worth $1.2tn.
【参考译文】
美参众两院即将在最后期限之前对提高债务上限的法案进行投票，以避免出现史无前例的债务违约。周日晚些时候，华盛顿民主党和共和党领导人就提高14.3兆美元的债务上限达成一致。全球金融市场对于美国可能没有足够的资金来偿还债务这一前景感到非常紧张。保尔亚当斯在华盛顿报道。 兜售周日协议的工作已经开始，但是政客们仍然非常不满，尽管他们敦促同僚们支持该法案。在参议院，多数派领袖哈里里德表示，整个充满敌意的过程使他一点也不自豪，但是他将该法案视为美国民主制度良好运作的典范。 “没有人能得到他们想要的。每个人都得放弃点儿什么。右派的人很失望，左派的人也很失望，中间派的人还很失望。各方都做出了妥协。” 里德表示，每个人都有充分的理由不喜欢该法案。总统未能说服共和党人同意提高税收。共和党人不得不赞同延长债务限额的期限。双方都知道，如果他们在11月末之前未就支出计划达成协议，那么国内的社会项目和国防项目将会自动削减1.2兆美元。
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