英语流利说20190109

No progress towards ending U.S. shutdown in Trump meeting with lawmakers

No agreement came out of a meeting between U.S. congressional leaders and President Donald Trump on Wednesday /// to end a partial government shutdown now in its 12th day /// as the president stuck to his demand for $5 billion(3.97 billion pounds) in border wall funding fiercely opposed by Democrats.

congressional, 国会的

fiercely, 猛烈地，激烈地

to end ..., 引导目的状语从句

as ...，引导原因状语从句

Trump's demand for $5 billion in funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border triggered the shutdown /// affecting about a quarter of the federal government and 800,000 federal works. 

trigger, n.板机；v.激发(通常指不好的事)

affecting ..., 做shutdown的后置定语

Before meeting with lawmakers, Trump said the shutdown would last for "as long as it takes" as he pushes for wall money as part of any legislation to reopen agencies shuttered when their funding lapsed on Des. 22.

legislation, 立法，法案

shuttered ..., 作为agencies的后置定语 | shutter, 百叶窗

lapse, 失效，终止

“We know that we have a challenge along the border,” said Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican. "We want to solve that issue. We want to make sure we open this government up. And I think at the end of the day, the president, listening to him, he wants to solve this as well."

at the end of the day, 说到底，最终，到头来

Trump made the border wall a key part of his presidential campaign. Before meeting with the Democrats, Trump called the border a "sieve," provided an estimate of the U.S. illegal immigrant population far higher than the figure most experts cite and made disputed comments about progress toward building a wall.

sieve, 筛子

cite, 援引，引用

dispute, 争议，辩论，怀疑

The $5 billion Trump is seeking would cover only a portion of the money needed for a border wall, a project estimated to cost about $23 billion. Trump had said Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico has refused.

portion, 一部分 

注意最后一句话的时态运用：had said，过去完成时，has refused, 现在完成时