时代周刊:美国的分裂(7)

If Biden does take office, he will confront a set of challenges like few Presidents before him. He has laid out a comprehensive—and expensive—federal plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that includes promoting mask wearing, ramping¹ up testing and the production of protective equipment, improving information transparency and scientific reopening guidance, and creating and distributing a vaccine². Democrats³ have previously⁴ proposed trillions in new spending to help individuals, businesses and local governments and shore up the health care system needs that will only grow in the coming months.

如果拜登真的就职，那么他将面临一系列的挑战，这是在他之前的总统很少遇到的。他制定了一项全面而昂贵的联邦计划来抗击新冠，包括提倡戴口罩、加强检测和防护设备的生产、提高信息透明度、做好重新开放相关科学指导以及制造和分发疫苗。民主党此前曾提议新增加数万亿美元支出来帮助个人、企业和地方政府并支撑未来几个月才会增长的医疗保健系统需求。

The coronavirus is far from the only problem Biden and the Democrats have promised to solve. A former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden would likely devote great attention to restoring America's traditional trade and security alliances. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently said the congressional agenda for 2021 would include a major infrastructure⁵ bill and an expansion of health care. Liberals will be pushing for fast action on police reform, climate and immigration. Democrats have been remarkably⁶ unified⁷ since Biden effectively sewed up the nomination⁸ in March, but the party's left wing has signaled it will not be so deferential⁹ once victory is in hand. Progressive groups have been circulating lists of potential Biden nominees¹⁰ they would (and would not) accept for key Administration posts.

新冠并非拜登和民主党承诺要解决的唯一一个问题。拜登作为前参议院外交关系委员会主席，他可能会把重心放在恢复美国的传统贸易和安全联盟上。近期，众议院议长佩洛西称，2021年国会的议程将包括一项重大基础设施法案和扩大医疗保健。自由派将推动在警察改革、气候和移民问题上迅速采取行动。自3月拜登获得有效提名之后，民主党人一直非常团结，但该党左翼已经暗示，一旦胜利在握，他们便不会如此恭敬了。进步团体一直在分发会(和不会)接受拜登关键行政职位的潜在候选人名单。

Four years of Trump¹¹ have left Democrats with few worries about overreading their mandate¹². "If we win the election, we have a mandate to make change, period," says Guy Cecil, president of the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA. But if Republicans retain their hold on the Senate, prospects¹³ for major legislation will be dim. Republicans had won 48 seats as of the evening of Nov. 4, with at least one January runoff in Georgia that could decide the balance of power in the chamber¹⁴.

经过特朗普的四年任期，民主党人并不怎么担心越权问题。民主党超级政治行动委员会“优先美国”的主席盖伊·塞西尔称：“如果我们赢得了选举，那么我们就有权利做出改变。”然而，如果共和党依旧在参议员占据主导地位，那么重大立法的前景将变得黯淡。截至11月4日晚，共和党已经赢得了48个席位。1月份佐治亚州于至少有一次决选，这或许将决定众议院的权力平衡。

Whatever the ultimate result, the election exposed the shaky edifice¹⁵ of U.S. democracy. From the antiquated¹⁶ governing institutions that increasingly reward minoritarian rule, to the badly wounded norms surrounding the independent administration of justice, to the flimsy protections of supposedly universal suffrage¹⁷, to the nation's balky and underfunded election infrastructure, Trump's presidency¹⁸ has laid bare the weaknesses in our system. But initiatives to reform campaign finance, government ethics¹⁹ and voting rights seem fated to run aground in a divided Washington.

无论最终结果如何，这次选举都暴露了美国民主大厦的不稳固。从日益推崇少数主义统治的过时的管理机制到以独立司法为中心的严重受损的规范，再到所谓普选权的脆弱保护以及美国选举基础设施的僵化和资金的不足，特朗普的总统任期暴露了美国体制的弱点。而竞选资金、政府道德以及投票权改革的主动性也注定要在分裂的华盛顿搁浅。

1 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 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》

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

7 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

8 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。

9 deferential   

adj. 敬意的，恭敬的

参考例句：

• They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
• I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。

10 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

11 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

12 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

13 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

14 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

15 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

16 antiquated   

adj.陈旧的，过时的

参考例句：

• Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
• A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。

17 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

18 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

19 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。