PARAGRAPH AND WORDS
A year of Trump: how much has changed in the past year?
In delivering his first State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump spoke of many small victories that he chalked up to his administration’s record over the past year. Yet the biggest surprise to many may have been the fact that they saw before them a Commander-in-Chief who unwaveringly stuck to the script and eschewed his usual provocative style on social media. While “Twitter Trump” has lashed out at Democrats on immigration reform and the federal government shutdown earlier in January, “Teleprompter Trump” issued a generous call for bipartisanship in policymaking. Where Mr. Trump has actively promoted, on social media, Russian involvement in resolving problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine and terrorism, he said in his Congressional address that Russia and China were rivals that challenged U.S. economic interests. Most strikingly, Mr. Trump assured his audience that prospective immigrant families would benefit from his proposed reform, yet just three months ago he had vowed on Twitter that the Extreme Vetting Programme for migrants from certain countries was being stepped up to fourth gear. The divergence between Mr. Trump’s two assessments of the current scenario is troubling also because the softer version of Americana he outlined in the State of the Union speech is in stark contrast to his inaugural speech a year ago when he famously spoke of “American carnage”. The question is, how much has really changed in the intervening year? Considering his administration’s successes first, at the top of the list is the passage in Congress of his tax-cut proposal that he claimed put more money back into American workers’ pockets and built the foundations of a stronger economy. Leaving aside the fact that it was the 12th largest tax cut in post-World War I history, and not the largest as Mr. Trump claimed, it is quite likely that his voter base appreciates his adherence to the Republican fiscal mantra. On the linked subject of growth and jobs, the economy expanded by 2.3% in 2017, which is less than it did in 2014 or 2015. Mr. Trump’s first year saw more than two million jobs created, yet that falls short of any of the last six years of his predecessor’s tenure. Mr. Trump’s decision to revoke the previous administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. prison in Guantánamo Bay may have been a throwaway to policy hawks, but it could turn out to be self-defeating to the extent that it serves as a recruitment tool for terrorist groups. While Americans will continue to debate these complex questions of domestic policy, the attention of the world, including India, must have been on Mr. Trump’s call to end the sought-after visa lottery and “chain migration”. Given the context of a hardening immigration policy, which could potentially affect legal migration, these remarks will likely make the American Dream seem like a mirage to separated loved ones and hopeful professionals on distant shores.
WORDS :-
1) Chalked up
Meaning: To have a success or failure.
Example: Last year its retail stores chalked up sales of more than $1 billion.
2) Unwaveringly
Meaning: Not wavering; steady or resolute.
Example: “she fixed him with an unwavering stare”
Synonyms: Steady, Resolute
Antonyms: Unsteady
3) Eschewed
Meaning: Deliberately avoid using; abstain from.
Example: “he appealed to the crowd to eschew violence”
Synonyms: Shun, Renounce
4) Provocative
Meaning: Causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.
Example: “a provocative article”
Synonyms: Annoying, Irritating
Antonyms: Soothing
5) Lashed out
Meaning: To suddenly attack someone or something physically or criticize him, her, or it in an angry way.
Example: I was only teasing him and suddenly he lashed out (at me) and hit me in the face.
Synonyms: Disapproving, Criticizing
6) Generous
Meaning: Showing kindness towards others.
Example: “a generous assessment of his work”
Synonyms: Kind, Noble
Antonyms: Mean
7) Prospective
Meaning: Likely to happen at a future date.
Example: “a meeting to discuss prospective changes in government legislation”
Synonyms: Potential, Possible
8) Reform
Meaning: The action or process of reforming an institution or practice.
Example: “the reform of the divorce laws”
Synonyms: Improvement, Betterment
9) Vowed
Meaning: Solemnly promise to do a specified thing.
Example: “the rebels vowed to continue fighting”
Synonyms: Swear, Undertake
10) Stepped up
Meaning: To take action when there is a need or opportunity for it.
Example: Investors have to step up and assume more responsibility for their assets.
Synonyms: Acting
11) Scenario
Meaning: A postulated sequence or development of events.
Example: “a possible scenario is that he was attacked after opening the front door”
Synonyms: Situation
12) Stark
Meaning: Unpleasantly or sharply clear.
Example: “his position is in stark contrast to that of Curran”
Synonyms: Blunt, Simple
13) Intervening
Meaning: Take part in something so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events.
Example: “he acted outside his authority when he intervened in the dispute”
Synonyms: Intercede, Mediate
14) Adherence
Meaning: Attachment or commitment to a person, cause, or belief.
Example: “a strict adherence to etiquette”
15) Revoke
Meaning: Officially cancel (a decree, decision, or promise).
Example: “the men appealed and the sentence was revoked”
Synonyms: Cancel, Repeal
Antonyms: Introduce, Enact
16) Hawks
Meaning: A person who advocates an aggressive or warlike policy, especially in foreign affairs.
Example: “severe limits were put on the peace plan by party hawks”
17) Hardening
Meaning: Make or become more severe and less sympathetic.
Example: “she hardened her heart”
Synonyms: Toughen, Harden
Antonyms: Soften
18) Shores
Meaning: The land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
Example: “I made for the shore”
Synonyms: Seaside, Coast
