Obama: Voters Face 'Clearest Choice in a Generation'

 Obama: Voters Face 'Clearest Choice in a Generation' Accepting the Democratic Party's presidential nomination¹ Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama told voters they "face the clearest choice of any time in a generation" when they go to the polls this November -- a "choice between two different paths for America."

President Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina Thursday night to chants of "four more years." He told Americans he will not "pretend" the path he is offering is "quick or easy." He said "the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place."

Obama said he is asking the nation to rally around a set of goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit² that will "lead to new jobs, more opportunity and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation."

The president's goals include creating one million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016, doubling exports by the end of 2014 and cutting net oil imports in half by 2020.  He is also pledging to cut the nation's deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next ten years.

Obama's speech comes just nine weeks ahead of the November 6 general election. Obama and Republican challenger Mitt³ Romney are in a virtual tie in opinion polls.

Earlier Thursday, the Democrats⁴ formally nominated Mr. Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, for vice⁵ president. Speaking at the convention Thursday night before Obama, Biden accepted the nomination and shared details of his experience working with the president. He said he has gotten to see firsthand that Obama's "profound concern for the average American" is what drives him. He said the United States is on a mission to move forward "from doubt and downturn, to promise and prosperity." He said it's a "mission we will continue and a mission we will complete."

Biden was nominated by his son, Beau, who called him a hero. Images of the vice president showed him tearing up as his son spoke⁶.

Also Thursday, Obama held a conference call with supporters who were supposed to see him in person as he delivered his acceptance speech.

Convention organizers had planned to stage the president's speech at a 74,000-seat outdoor football stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. They scrubbed those plans and moved the speeches to a much smaller indoor arena⁷, citing the threat of thunderstorms.

Obama said during Thursday's conference call that the move was "disappointing" but he could not put the safety of supporters and volunteers at risk. 

He also told supporters he expected a close race against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.  He said Romney's campaign was preparing to release a "barrage⁸" of negative ads.

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

8 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。