新西兰英语 141 Mt Albert Electorate

　　When Helen Clark left Parliament, the Labour Party announced there would be a by-election in Mt Albert to find a replacement¹ MP. Russell Norman, co-leader of the Green Party, and John Boscawen of the ACT Party both want to be the MP for Mt Albert. They are both in Parliament already as List MPs. However, they are not likely to win this seat in the election.
On Sunday, the Labour Party chose their candidate, David Shearer². He was working for the United Nations in Iraq and gave up this job to return to New Zealand. He has worked in war areas for the past 20 years and won awards for bravery. He is a close friend of Phil Goff, the leader of the Labour Party.
On Monday night the National Party chose their candidate, Melissa Lee. She is the first Korean-born MP in Parliament. She is a List MP. She used to host a TV programme – Asia Down Under – so is well-known among the Asian community.
It will not be easy for Melissa Lee to win this seat though. The Mt Albert electorate³ has been held by Labour for the past 60 years. Helen Clark herself held this seat for 28 years. However, it will not be easy for David Shearer to win this seat either, as the National government is still in its honeymoon⁴ period and is quite popular.

1 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

2 shearer   

n.剪羊毛的人；剪切机

参考例句：

• A bad shearer never had a good sickle. 拙匠无利器。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Eventually, Shearer lost faith, dropping him to the bench. 最终，希勒不再信任他，把他换下场。 来自互联网

3 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

4 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。