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VOA慢速英语 2008 0512b

时间:2008-06-10 05:43来源:互联网 提供网友:Lucia_wu2008   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

THIS IS AMERICA - Coming Down to the Finish Line for a Race That Is About to Begin
The presidential campaign heads into the last six contests to choose a Democratic nominee2. Also, short biographies of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Transcript3 of radio broadcast:
11 May 2008

 

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Shep O'Neal.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Faith Lapidus. This week our subject is the presidential campaign.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The seemingly endless campaign for the Democratic Party nomination4 is nearing an end. Only five states and the territory of Puerto Rico have yet to vote.
 

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., addresses her supporters during her Indiana Primary night rally in Indianapolis, 06 May 2008

Illinois Senator Barack Obama moved closer to victory last Tuesday. A win by fourteen points in North Carolina increased his lead in delegates and the popular vote.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton had a two-point victory in Indiana, the other state that voted last Tuesday. Still, many political commentators5 declared the race over.

But speaking in Indiana, Hillary Clinton promised to continue her fight.

HILLARY CLINTON: "I am going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November…”

VOICE ONE:

West Virginia will vote this Tuesday, then Kentucky and Oregon on May twentieth. The primary season ends on June third.

VOICE TWO:
 

Senator Barack Obama speaks after winning North Carolina Democratic presidential primary, 6 May 2008

Barack Obama captured fifty-six percent of the North Carolina vote, led by his strong support among African-American voters. If elected, he would be America's first black president.

After the results were in, he talked about defeating Republican candidate John McCain in the general election.

BARACK OBAMA: "We can’t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush’s third term. We need change in America and that’s why we will be united in November."

VOICE ONE:

Hillary Clinton argues that she is the Democrat1 more likely to defeat John McCain in big and often unpredictable states. Her campaign has faced a shortage of money, and she has helped finance it lately with personal loans.

Hillary Clinton would be America's first female president. Her continued support among working-class white voters and older Americans helped her win Indiana. Nine out of ten black voters there and in North Carolina chose Barack Obama.

VOICE TWO:

Hillary Clinton could still win the nomination if delegate votes from Michigan and Florida are counted at the party's convention in August. The national party has refused to recognize those votes. The states held their primaries earlier than rules permitted. The party rules committee will meet on May thirty-first to decide what to do.

The hope is to avoid a divisive fight over the nominee at the convention. In the early nineteen eighties, the Democratic Party created superdelegates. These are party officials and elected office holders6. One reason they were created was to avoid such fights.

The nearly eight hundred superdelegates are free to choose any candidate. Undecided superdelegates are under intense pressure from both campaigns. Their votes could decide the nominee in the coming weeks.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

At forty-six, Barack Obama describes himself as a Washington outsider. His promises to work for change and unity7 have appealed especially to young voters and more-educated voters.

Hillary Clinton says he lacks experience while she is "ready to lead on day one." Senator Obama agrees that he has not spent many years learning the ways of Washington. But, he says, “I have been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.”

VOICE TWO:

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. Their marriage ended when he was two, and his father later returned to Kenya. Barack Obama spent part of his youth in Jakarta after his mother married an Indonesian man.

Although his father and stepfather were Muslim, and his middle name is Hussein, Barack Obama is Christian8. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters.

He attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He says his whole life has been about bridging racial divides and helping9 people work together. He was a community organizer in Chicago and an Illinois state senator. He entered the United States Senate in January of two thousand five.

VOICE ONE:

Barack Obama recently broke ties with his former pastor10 of twenty years. Senator Obama denounced statements made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

These included suggestions that American policies invited the two thousand one terrorist attacks on the United States. Reverend Wright also said the government may have developed the AIDS virus to use against blacks.

When asked about Reverend Wright, Hillary Clinton said some of his comments were offensive and outrageous11. John McCain said he would not make it a campaign issue if Senator Obama is the Democratic nominee.

JOHN McCAIN: "Do I believe that Reverend Wright's comments were outrageous? Of course, so do all Americans. But it’ll be a discussion that Senator Obama will have with the American people."

VOICE TWO:

Political experts said the issue of Reverend Wright appeared to have little effect on Senator Obama in last week's primaries.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Hillary Rodham Clinton grew up in the Midwest, in Illinois. Her father owned a textile business. He was strict. He is said to have turned off the heat on cold winter nights to save money.

She graduated from Wellesley College and Yale Law School. Over the years, she has often worked on issues affecting women, children and those without health insurance.

VOICE TWO:

Hillary Clinton is sixty years old. She was elected a senator from New York in two thousand, and re-elected in two thousand six.

She entered the presidential race as someone who, it was often said, most Americans either loved or hated. That reputation goes back to her eight years as first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, was president.

Early on, he appointed her to lead a White House effort to reform the American health-care system. But the plan was unable to win congressional support.

VOICE ONE:

In the Senate, she has been a strong critic of President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. But her vote to support military intervention12 angered some of the Democratic Party base. Barack Obama makes a campaign point that he has always opposed the war.

Recently Hillary Clinton was criticized for saying she faced sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia in nineteen ninety-six. She later said she was mistaken, after video of her arrival with her daughter, Chelsea, showed no sign of danger.

VOICE TWO:

High energy prices and the economy are much bigger issues now than they were when the campaign began.

John McCain and Hillary Clinton both want to suspend a fuel tax this summer to help motorists save money. She would have oil companies pay for it. Barack Obama said the idea of a tax "holiday" was a political trick that would save little and could hurt road projects.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:
 

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain speaks at a news conference in Phoenix13, 05 May 2008

Senator John McCain of Arizona is in his second campaign for the White House. In two thousand, he lost the Republican Party nomination to George W. Bush. This time, he has had enough delegates since March to become the nominee at the party convention this September.

John McCain was born on an American base in the Panama Canal Zone. His father and grandfather were admirals in the United States Navy. He graduated from the Naval14 Academy and became a Navy pilot.

His plane was shot down over North Vietnam in nineteen sixty-seven during the Vietnam War. He spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war. He faced severe beatings, and returned home a national hero.

He led the Navy's largest air squadron at the end of his twenty-two years of service.

John McCain's political message centers on national security.

VOICE TWO:

Senator McCain says his war experience makes him uniquely qualified15 to be president. He supports President Bush's war policies and says he would keep troops in Iraq as long as needed.

President Bush has called the fourth-term senator a "true conservative." But some Republicans do not think John McCain is conservative enough. He is trying to appeal to conservative and independent voters.

If elected, he will be the oldest first-term president. John McCain will be seventy-two this August.

He faced criticism recently after his campaign released only his tax returns and not those of his wife, Cindy, a wealthy businesswoman. The McCains keep their personal finances separate. The Obamas and the Clintons released their tax returns. But Cindy McCain says this is an issue of privacy.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Brianna Blake and produced by Caty Weaver16. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Shep O'Neal. Send us your opinions about the presidential campaign. Write to [email protected] and tell us your name and country. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 democrat Xmkzf     
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员
参考例句:
  • The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
  • About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后,他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。
2 nominee FHLxv     
n.被提名者;被任命者;被推荐者
参考例句:
  • His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
  • Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。
3 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
4 nomination BHMxw     
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。
5 commentators 14bfe5fe312768eb5df7698676f7837c     
n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 );时事评论员;注释者;实况广播员
参考例句:
  • Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语,真叫人腻烦。
  • Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话,令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 holders 79c0e3bbb1170e3018817c5f45ebf33f     
支持物( holder的名词复数 ); 持有者; (支票等)持有人; 支托(或握持)…之物
参考例句:
  • Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
  • It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识,才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事,同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。
7 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
8 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
9 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
10 pastor h3Ozz     
n.牧师,牧人
参考例句:
  • He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
  • We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师:教会的事是由五位执事管理的。
11 outrageous MvFyH     
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的
参考例句:
  • Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
  • Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。
12 intervention e5sxZ     
n.介入,干涉,干预
参考例句:
  • The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
  • Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。
13 phoenix 7Njxf     
n.凤凰,长生(不死)鸟;引申为重生
参考例句:
  • The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
  • The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。
14 naval h1lyU     
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的
参考例句:
  • He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
  • The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
15 qualified DCPyj     
adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的
参考例句:
  • He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
  • We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。
16 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
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TAG标签:   voa  慢速英语  voa  慢速英语
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