VOA慢速英语:Obama Urges Steps to Strengthen Economy

1.And I'm proposing that all American businesses should be allowed to write off all the investment they do in 2011.

write off损失掉, 排除

例句：It may not be a bad thing that they write off their marriage before it begins.
      他们断绝了关系未结婚, 这可能并非坏事。

毁掉; 结束掉

例句：They wrote the car off.
      他们将那辆汽车报废了。

2.The plan would cost fifty billion dollars, but he promised it would not add to the budget deficit over time.

over time随着时间的过去

例句：But this will improve over time.
      但是这将随着时间改变。

3.These are set to end this December.

set to定下，定于

例句：Everything is set to go.
      一切都已定下。

4.You can't have a strong economy if you're raising taxes on the very people you expect to invest in our economy to begin hiring people again."

very可用作形容词,有“真正的,正是……的,十足的”等意。例如:
　　①You are the very person I want to see. 你正是我要见的人。
　　②I will do it this very afternoon. 我就在今天下午办这件事。
　　③He is a very fool. 他是个十足的傻瓜。

5.But there is little that his newest proposals could do to help the economy before November.

that his newest proposals could do是定语从句，修饰的是little。to help the economy before November表示目的。