[REBORN FROM THE ASHES][comment][12.22]

plukaUID: 2721764

我觉得应该是error whatsover的同位语，指出那些error就是拖慢程序的原因。
好像我也听说过the reason why不规范耶……= =||| 至少是不concise。

aladdin.ivyUID: 2596664

来两个视频链接，了解下背景知识

美国：万人抗议“奥巴马新政”
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTE4ODYxNDMy.html


奥巴马抨击美国保险公司阻挠医改
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTI2MjA5NzA0.html

番茄斗斗UID: 2720914

好词-表达-结构-生词

1.IT NOW looks certain thatBarack Obama will get what he wanted for Christmas—a health-care reformbill passed out of the Senate, probably just a few hours before Santabegins his rounds.
2.Republicans, who havebeen fighting tooth-and-nail（拼命的） to block passage of the bill seem to havegiven up the fight, and have given warning instead that this will be awish that he comes to regret.
3.Since 60 votes is theprecise number needed to avoid a filibuster(G词,原来可以这样用～), there was no room forerror whatsoever, the reason why the procedural motion had taken solong.
4.the final vote, on Christmas Eve, looks like a formality
5.he Senate version does tick most Democratic boxes
6.sets out a generous system of subsides to help the uninsured obtain coverage
7.losing it through redundancy（裁员） or ill-health
8.on the ground of cost（以支出为理由）
9.The advertised（公布的） price-tag of the Senate bill is a bit under $900 billion over the next ten years
10.predicted savings will not materialise（实现）
11.The Senate bill is "paidfor", but only in the sense that it provides for large charges on themost expensive private insurance policies, and because it factors indeep cuts to Medicare the health-insurance scheme for the elderly.
12.The public option is one big stumbling block.
13.Technically only a motionto end debate on a “manager's amendment” put together by the Senate'smajority leader, Harry Reid, what the vote really represented was acrucial exercise in nose-counting.
A Manager's Amendment is a packageof numerous individual amendments agreed to by both sides in advance.The managers are the majority andthe minority member who manage thedebate on a bill for their side.这里讽刺了这个议案是依仗着DEMOCRATIC的人多才通过的～ nose couting:a periodic count of the population这里说的是这次议案的通过过程不过是在做数人数的体力活～

COMMENT:
In the past 5 years, medical care system in US was under boundless argument and ended up in failure. This year, it may have an alteration.

The passage of the bill suggests us many benefits from it, full coverage of the health insurances, diminshing expenses and no harm to private insurers. However, Mr Obama seems to ignore some more facts, which may undermine the materialization of the bill and havoc the medical system instead.

First, Restriction on employer seems to be the first and best step to realize the reform, it may none the less bring about an unexpectated unemployment. Since an obliged payment for the insurance is for sure a burden, empolyer will more likely turn to laying off staff, which may worsen originally-unpromising market.

Second, as Republican stated, the cost of the subsidies might be underestimated and far beyond the advertised $900 billion. How can a government,which has long under deficit, afford it is unclear.


However, it's better to take a risk rather than staying still.  Unsured the bill may seem, it's worthing a try. It may not obtain all of what it promises. yet, experices instead is sure to acquire and that's what the current medical system lacks.

qisaimanUID: 2703629

the report comments the health-care bill reform being on procedural . seems that the Demo and Repu have a fierce debate on the details , with the result of a passage on the House
Demo feel pitu for the public option did not be included ,and the Repu is not satisfied with the cost . the huge cost is the main problem, especially when a huge deficits need to tackle. the Demo and Repu hold different opinions on the income , one with rich and the other with an insurance-policy surcharge. the Repu contend that the surcharge will lead to a private insurance premiums since the insurer is inclined to transfer the new burden to the public.

miki7catUID: 2533330

Comments

It will be seen that there are three different voice in the health-care reforms. The version of the bill already passed by the House of Representatives contains a “public option”, which the Democrats desire to add to the bill. The Senate version though tick most Democratic boxes, the “public option” was stripped off it. What this means that the divergance between the Senate and House is the role the government should play in the new health-care system, whether to build a government-backed insurance institution that would compete with private insurers in order to keep costs down and guarantee access or just to build government-regulated exchanges that should encourage competition among private insurers. The third voice is from Republicans, who fight the bill on the ground of cost. Of course, I think the cost must be taken serious attention, pariticularly when America is running huge deficits that it urgently needs to tackle.




词句摘抄
at a high price高昂的代价
government-backed政府支持
tick most Democratic boxes
mostly on the ground of cost大多以成本为理由
factors in
stumbling block


我觉得这篇写得特别好，每个句子都值得学习。

miki7catUID: 2533330

Difficult sentences:
“Shortly after 1am on Monday December 21st, the health bill cleared the first, and the most difficult, of the procedural hurdles it has to leap in order to secure passage through the Senate.”
句子主干知道意思明确，但是这个成分“of the procedural hurdles”不太理解是修饰哪部分的？

我觉得 and the most difficult是插入语，正常应该是the first of the procecural hurdles

2  Since 60 votes is the precise number needed to avoid a filibuster, there was no room for error whatsoever, the reason why the procedural motion had taken so long. 做状语么？

不要想它是什么语法现象啦，反正the reason是指代前面整句话的吧。如果非要分析的话，我宁愿把它看成是省略句，（and this is）the reason why ...

记得《难句》里面好像也有这么一句，一句话分析下来就是一个名词。

fancywwUID: 2583671

To be honest, I had paid little attention to Obama's health-care reform bill. And I do not know much about how the American Senate works. So I cannot fully understand some of the points in the article. In this case, I did some Wikipedia job, and here is my brief extract to help fellows like me to understand the article better.


The debate over healthcare reform in the United States centers around questions of a right to health care, access, fairness, sustainability, and quality purchased by the high sums spent.

The mixed public-private health care system in the United States is the most expensive in the world, with health care costing more per person than in any other nation, and a greater portion of GDP is spent on it than in any other.

A study of international health care spending levels in the year 2000 found that while the U.S. spends more on health care than other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the use of health care services in the U.S. is below the OECD median by most measures. The authors of the study concluded that the prices paid for health care services are much higher in the U.S.

The U.S. is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.

In spite of the amount spent on health care in the US, according to a 2008 report, the United States ranks last in the quality of health care among developed countries.The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000, ranked the US health care system 37th in overall performance and 72nd by overall level of health (among 191 member nations included in the study).

Whether a universally accessible health care system should be implemented in the U.S. remains a hotly debated political topic.

A fundamental problem in evaluating reform proposals is the difficulty of estimating their cost and potential impact.

Another impediment to implementing any reform that does not benefit insurance companies or the private health care industry is the power of insurance company and health care industry lobbyists in the United States.

Public opinion on health care reform suggests a high percentage desire reforms; however, do not want to see their taxes raised.

There have been a number of different health care reforms proposed during the Obama administration to improve the U.S. health care system.

These include variety of specific types of reform ranging from increased use of health care technology through changing the anti-trust rules governing health insurance companies and tort-reform to rationing of care. The Obama administration has suggested a package of reforms, as have several Congressional legislative proposals.

qxn_1987UID: 2610437

Republicans, who have been fighting tooth-and-nail（拼命） to block passage of the bill seem to have given up the fight, and have given warning instead that this will be a wish that he comes to regret.

Shortly after 1am on Monday December 21st, the health bill cleared the first, and the most difficult, of the procedural hurdles it has to
leap
in order to secure passage through the Senate. Technically only a motion to end debate on a “manager's amendment” put together by the Senate's majority leader, Harry Reid, what the vote really represented was a crucial exercise in nose-counting（投票计数；凭票数做出的决定；清点人数）. The result was a vote on precisely partisan lines, with all 40 Republicans opposed, and all 58 Democrats plus the two independents who are grouped with them voting in favour. Since 60 votes is the precise number needed to
avoid a filibuster,
there was no room for error whatsoever, the reason why the procedural motion had taken so long. But with all 60 members of the “Democratic caucus” now signed up, the final vote, on Christmas Eve, looks like a formality.
From the point of view of the Democrats, this victory has come at a high price. The health bill has been stripped of
something very dear to many of then: a “public option” of a government-backed insurance scheme that would compete with private insurers in order, supposedly, to keep costs down and guarantee access. The version of the bill already passed by the House of Representatives does contain just such a public option, one of several reasons why final passage of a reconciled bill is still a way off. Some Democrats hope, however, that a public option can be added later on, after the initial bill has gone into effect.


Republicans, however, hate the bill, mostly on the ground of cost. The advertised price-tag of the Senate bill is a bit under $900 billion over the next ten years, but Republicans contend that the numbers will be much higher than that, as the cost of subsidies has been underestimated and predicted savings will not materialise. Even at the stated number, this is a large bill at a time when America is running huge deficits that it urgently needs to tackle. The Senate bill is "paid for", but only in the sense that it provides for large charges on the most expensive private insurance policies, and because it factors in deep cuts to Medicare（（美国政府办的）医疗保险制度） the health-insurance scheme for the elderly. Republicans say these will never be enacted. Past history provides them with evidence to back up
that claim.

Less politically involved observers also note that it is unprecedented for such a substantive and expensive bill to have been forced through Congress on such a narrow vote. The bill passed the House on a margin of just five votes, and in the Senate it has no safety margin. With no bipartisan support at all, Democrats will be held solely responsible if the reform turns out to be a disappointment. Some studies have suggested that private insurance premiums could rise substantially in response to the new burdens being placed on insurers.

Completion of work on the bill is by no means a formality, though it does now look more or less certain that the Senate will vote the bill out before Christmas. The next difficulty will come in producing a single “reconciled” version from the very different bills that the Senate and House have produced; that reconciled bill then has to go back for final clearance by both chambers. The public option is one big stumbling block（障碍物；绊脚石）. It is clear that the Senate cannot pass any version of a bill that contains a public option, so the House will have to give ground, which is going to require a lot of presidential arm-twisting（压力或影响） in January.


Comments:
Obama became a well-known name since 2008 presidential campign. He defeated his competitor---Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States as the first black president. And most Amercians place high expectation on him. Obama has made several vital decisions since his inauguration. One among of them is America’s health-care bill which he has supported intensively and called for Congress to pass. Obviously, the sweeping reform Bill has met various of obstacles and barriers in the process. Republicans remain almost unanimously opposed, decrying its huge cost and the tax increases needed to pay for it., while Democrats support it strongly.

(现在貌似可以改过来了。。。)

123runfordreamUID: 2697608

IT NOW looks certain that Barack Obama will get what he wanted for Christmas—a health-care reform bill passed out of the Senate, probably just a few hours before Santa begins his rounds.

The bill passed the House on a margin of just five votes, and in the Senate it has no safety margin.

The health bill has been stripped of something very dear to many of then: a “public option” of a government-backed insurance scheme that would compete with private insurers in order, supposedly, to keep costs down and guarantee access.

The hope is that tens of million of Americans currently without coverage will now be able to get it, and many tens of millions more, who have insurance but fear losing it through redundancy or ill-health, will have those worries lifted from their shoulders.



tooth-and-nail：拼命。
nose-counting
:投票计数。
Filibuster：to try to delay action in Congress or another law-making group by making very long speeches——LM


redundancy：a situation in which someone has to leave their job, because they are no longer needed；when something is not used because something similar or the same already exists
Give around:让步。



comments：
“Health care reform” these words may probable the most hearing for me this year either in china or America. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine took some pictures which were some protestors show their protest in the campus.

This article looks like easier than those before. However, it is not easy to get its idea at first glance. The author mentions that the passage of the bill seems not a big victory with only a narrow vote. Following the passage of the bill, it comes to the hard future of payment of this insurance. Different parties hold the different views with different concerns. Republicans hate the bill, mostly on the ground of cost. Of course money issue is always on the table. What’s going to happen on hearth care in America, we’ll see.

123runfordreamUID: 2697608

“Shortly after 1am on Monday December 21st, the health bill cleared the first, and the most difficult, of the procedural hurdles it has to leap in order to secure passage through the Senate.”
句子主干知道意思明确，但是这个成分“of the procedural hurdles”不太理解是修饰哪部分的？
我觉得 and the most difficult是插入语，正常应该是the first of the procecural hurdles
2 Since 60 votes is the precise number needed to avoid a filibuster, there was no room for error whatsoever, the reason why the procedural motion had taken so long. 做状语么？
不要想它是什么语法现象啦，反正the reason是指代前面整句话的吧。如果非要分析的话，我宁愿把它看成是省略句，（and this is）the reason why ...

记得《难句》里面好像也有这么一句，一句话分析下来就是一个名词。

我觉得 and the most difficult是插入语，正常应该是the first of the procecural hurdles

我觉得是并列——the first，　the　most　difficult　并列修饰后面的　the procecural hurdles

domudomuUID: 2670967

The most tough problem in our society is the one that is deeply related to general people, such as public safety, global environment and health-care. Thus medical reform can always on the hot line no matter in developing countries or development ones. Well, as we know, China is pushing the new reform recently in many rural areas, and mainly aims to the huge number farmers and college students. As a developing country the Chinese government is working hard to solve various problems and make a convenient life for us.
Even American government pays much attention on this issue. The author claims the two parties debate on the health-care bill. Even though the victory has come out at a high price from the point of view of Democrats.Now, I also want to say congratulations to Mr. Obama, cause I have been his super fan since the election. It seems that the close of health-care reform will certainly be the pretty and expected present to Mr. Obama on this Christmas.
But ,there are still many difficulties since every reform will meet some challenge when taken into practice.

123runfordreamUID: 2697608

Since 60 votes is the precise number needed to avoid a filibuster, there was no room for error whatsoever, the reason why the procedural motion had taken so long.

The reason由 why 来引导定语从句。而the reason 应该是前面 there was no room for error whatsoever 的同位语（或者定语？语法成分不同，个人常常感觉作用是一样的。囧。）

海王泪UID: 2673613

My Sum-Up
Thesis: A procedural vote in America's Senate brings Barack Obama's health-care reforms closer
1.A health-care reform bill will be passed out of Senate as what Obama wanted and Republicans give up their fighting.
2.The heath bill supported by the Democrats cleared the first and the most difficult procedural hurdles from the Republicans.
3.The Senate version has been deprived of something when another bill adding a public option was passed by the House of Representative.
4.The Senate version obliges everyone to have health-insurance and it benefits disadvantaged groups.
5.Republicans hates the healthy bill because of its cost.
6.It is unprecedented for such a substantive and expensive bill to have been forced through Congress on such a narrow vote.
7.The health-care reform will meet difficulty for the conflicts between the Senate version and the House version of a public option.

My comment
This special report only draws a blank in my mind, except for the strange feeling about the difference between the U.S. governments and ours. What President Obama wants such as the health-care bill needs to clear many hurdles in Senate and House. By comparison with it, our Wu (W for H, on the ground of avoid being detected and eliminated) can easily enact policies he wants.
Democracy or relative autocracy… That is an issue argued for a long time.
I do not mean relative autocracy is not good. In fact, I love our governments in some way.The Olympics Games can serve as a good example. Collecting resources in such a short time is a great achievement while Democracy may hold action in protracted way.

Well, let us come back to our topic—The health-care reform of America.
The bill is in controversy. The cost is spectacular. That means it benefits disadvantaged groups a lot but certainly it pose heavy burden on government's shoulder and finally pass it to other taxpayers.
In my opinion, America is a nation believing in market. How could its government make such a high degree of intervention in medical field? There must be a lot of stories. Pardon my stop here.

Sentences and phrases
“Republicans, who have been fighting tooth-and-nail to block passage of the bill seem to have given up the fight, and have given warning instead that this will be a wish that he comes to regret.”
Fighting tooth-and-nail with sb to do sth

“Shortly after 1am on Monday December 21st, the health bill cleared the first, and the most difficult, of the procedural hurdles it has to leap in order to secure passage through the Senate.”
Clear hurdles=overcome obstacles/difficulty
Only through clearing the hurdles of GRE and Toefl can we flying across the Pacific Ocearn.
The head of our school clear any hurdles of course reforms.
“There are many hurdles to overcome in life.”--Oxford

“The health bill has been stripped of something very dear to many of then”
Be stripped of something=be deprived of something

“Many tens of millions more, who have insurance but fear losing it through redundancy or ill-health, will have those worries lifted from their shoulders”
Have sb’s worries/burdens lifted from their shoulders
The cut down of tax have farmers’ financial burdens lifted from their shoulders.
The new policy has those workers’ worries lift from their shoulders.
Kon’s high score in GRE test has his parents’ worries lift from their shoulders.

“Republicans, however, hate the bill, mostly on the ground of cost.”
On the ground of=for the reason of=because of
Kon take the GRE test on the ground of will to study aboard.
Keeping comment for Economists everyday is on the ground of improving reading and writing skills.

“The public option is one big stumbling block.”
Sth. is a big stumbling block.
GRE is one big stumbling block on the long journey to America.
Sloth is one big stumbling block for keeping pace with other Gters.
Low score in AW is one big stumbling block to  scholarship.

敛寒影UID: 2613052

Comment:
This article remarked on the debate of passage on health-care between the two parties,the Republicans and the Democrats.The Republicans,which is devote on making more general people enjoy the health-insurance right and encourage competition among private insurers, but with a tax on the rich and a expensive cost.On the other side,the Republicans with an insurance-policy surcharge.
The two bills are fund in very different ways,and it seems that the Democrats have the advantage over the Republicans.I noticed one point the two obviously opposite from commen situation that deep cuts to Medicare the health-insurance scheme for the elderly.Considering from the realism that the costly money saved should be used to solve more practical problems such as huge deficits urgently needs to tackle,but it is not humanism.Anyone wouldl get to old and the money been saved should not be substancialy on solving necessitous problems.So the two sides should get a reconciled bill in the final.
好词好句：
Amendment 改善
Whatsoever 无论什么
Strip of 剥夺
Be still a way off 有距离
Get into effect 生效
On the ground of 以。。。为理由
Insureance premium 保险费
By no means 决不
Stumbling block 障碍物，绊脚石
a “public option” of a government-backed insurance scheme that would compete with private insurers in order, supposedly, to keep costs down and guarantee access.
The Senate bill is "paid for", but only in the sense that it provides for large charges on the most expensive private insurance policies, and because it factors in deep cuts to Medicare the health-insurance scheme for the elderly.
As of today though, health-care reform, expensive and imperfect though it is, is looking a lot more likely.

敛寒影UID: 2613052

Comment:
This article remarked on the debate of passage on health-care between the two parties,the Republicans and the Democrats.The Republicans,which is devote on making more general people enjoy the health-insurance right and encourage competition among private insurers, but with a tax on the rich and a expensive cost.On the other side,the Republicans with an insurance-policy surcharge.
The two bills are fund in very different ways,and it seems that the Democrats have the advantage over the Republicans.I noticed one point the two obviously opposite from commen situation that deep cuts to Medicare the health-insurance scheme for the elderly.Considering from the realism that the costly money saved should be used to solve more practical problems such as huge deficits urgently needs to tackle,but it is not humanism.Anyone wouldl get to old and the money been saved should not be substancialy on solving necessitous problems.So the two sides should get a reconciled bill in the final.
好词好句：
Amendment 改善
Whatsoever 无论什么
Strip of 剥夺
Be still a way off 有距离
Get into effect 生效
On the ground of 以。。。为理由
Insureance premium 保险费
By no means 决不
Stumbling block 障碍物，绊脚石
a “public option” of a government-backed insurance scheme that would compete with private insurers in order, supposedly, to keep costs down and guarantee access.
The Senate bill is "paid for", but only in the sense that it provides for large charges on the most expensive private insurance policies, and because it factors in deep cuts to Medicare the health-insurance scheme for the elderly.
As of today though, health-care reform, expensive and imperfect though it is, is looking a lot more likely.