2009-01-13&01-15 布什任内最后一年的回顾

George W. Bush hoped his last year as president would be remembered for scenes like these: troops poised¹ to come home in triumph from Iraq where bloodshed is dramatically down.

"You have shown that there is no task too difficult for the United States' military."

But now Bush's final year will also be known for an unprecedented² financial panic, the massive Federal rescue that a staunch free-market tier was then forced to order and the historic economic downturn that engulfed³ the country.

"If you don't take decisive measures, then it's conceivable that our country could go into a depression, greater than the Great Depression."

And if that weren't enough, though the Iraq war is going better, many Iraqis still smolder⁴ as Bush found out during a year-end news conference there. And meantime, Afghanistan is dramatically worse. U.S. intelligence says the war there is spiraling downward and commanders are scrambling⁵ to send in more troops.

Against that background, Bush's poll number sank to record lows, so low that GOP candidates shunned⁶ him during the campaign, but still took a beating on the election night. That means Bush will soon hand the keys to the Oval Office to the other Party. Yet looking back, he tells reporters he's got no regrets.

"When the time comes on January 20th, Laura and I will return home to Texas with treasured memories of our time here."

Still, Bush makes no secret: he's counting the days.

1 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 smolder   

v.无火焰地闷烧；n.焖烧，文火

参考例句：

• The smolder will soon be a flame.闷火很快变为烈焰。
• It can smolder undetected for hours,then suddenly explode in fiery destruction.也有可能好几小时内不被发觉，突然激烈的爆炸。

5 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》