1. The economic costs to this country of unchecked global warming will be grievous by mid-century unless we act now to mandate significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
如果我们现在不授权对温室气体排放进行大规模削减，那么到了本世纪中叶本国全球变暖的经济成本将会十分巨大。
grievous
(a) causing grief or suffering 令人伤心或痛苦的:
* grievous news, losses, wrongs 令人伤心的消息、 损失、 错误.
(b) （of sth bad) severe; serious （指坏事）剧烈的, 严重的:
* a grievous error, 严重的错误.
2. A report released last week by the Nobel Prize-winning U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that global warming could lead to sea levels rising high enough to submerge island nations, widespread famine in Africa, and elimination of one-quarter of the world's species if carbon emissions are not brought under control.
获得诺贝尔奖的联合国政府间关于气候变暖的小组上周发布了一份报告。该报告警告称如果任由二氧化碳气体排放，其引起的全球变暖可以引起海平面升高从而淹没许多岛国，引起非洲饥荒的大规模盛行，四分之一的地球种群灭绝
famine
(instance of) extreme scarcity of food in a region 饥荒:
* a famine in Ethiopia 埃塞俄比亚的饥荒
* The long drought was followed by months of famine. 久旱之後出现长达数月的饥荒。
3. Rising energy prices from this bill I believe will threaten blue- collar jobs in automotive assembly, steel, aluminum, cement, plastics and fertilizers.
我认为该提案所产生的能源价格的上涨将会威胁在汽车组装，炼钢，制铝，水泥，塑料，化肥行业的蓝领工人工作。
assembly
(a) act or process of fitting together the parts of sth 装配; 安装:
* The assembly of cars is often done by machines. 汽车常由机器装配.
(b) unit consisting of smaller manufactured parts that have been fitted together 装配组件:
* the tail assembly of an aircraft 飞机的机尾装配组件.
cement
(a) grey powder, made by burning lime and clay, that sets hard after mixing with water and is used in building to stick bricks together or for making very hard surfaces 水泥.
(b) any similar soft substance that sets firm and is used for sticking things together 任何类似水泥的软物质; 胶合剂; 接合剂.
4. Democrats generally endorse the cap-and-trade plan in the bill, but some oppose the provision that would allocate free emission permits to utilities, power plants, and other industrial facilities through 2036.
民主党人大多数支持该法案中的上限-交易计划，但是一些反对者称该规定会分配免费排放许可证给公共事业公司，发电厂，和其它工业设施直到2036年。
allocate
allot or assign sth (to sb/sth) for a special purpose （为某目的）配给, 分配某事物（给某人[某事物]）:
* He allocated each of us our tasks. 他给我们每个人都分配了工作.
5. In a response to Sanders, Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, acknowledged shortcomings with the legislation, but said it is a good bill overall.
作为对S评论的回应，加州共和党议员BB，该委员会的主席承认该法案的缺点和不足，但是该提案总体上是一个不错的法案。
shortcoming
A deficiency; a flaw.
不足之处；缺点
6. Mr. Bush previously has said he opposes mandatory carbon caps, saying they would hurt the U.S. economy。
布什早先时候表示他反对强制性的设置排放碳的上限，称这会伤害美国经济。
mandatory adj.（形容词）
Required or commanded by authority; obligatory:
强制的：权威当局所要求或命令的，必须履行的：
Attendance at the meeting is mandatory.
出席会议是必要的