VOA慢速英语2015 希拉里在班加西听证会后更加强势

AS IT IS 2015-10-24 Hillary Clinton Stronger After Benghazi Hearing 希拉里在班加西听证会后更加强势

Hillary Rodham Clinton emerged stronger politically after nearly 11 hours of tough questioning Thursday, analysts¹ said.

分析人士称，希拉里·克林顿（Hillary Rodham Clinton）周四在经历近11个小时的严厉质询后展露了政治上的强势。

Her ability to remain calm while answering hostile Republican questions made her look presidential, some analysts said.

一些分析师称，她在回应敌对的共和党人的问题时展露的冷静让她看上去很有总统气派。

The hearing by the House Select Committee on Benghazi centered on the 2012 events at the U.S. consulate² in the Libyan city of Benghazi. At the time, she was President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

众议院班加西特别委员会的听证会聚焦于2012年美国驻利比亚班加西市领事馆发生的袭击事件。当时她担任着奥巴马总统的国务卿。

The attacks left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.

这次袭击让四名美国人遇难，其中包括美国驻利比亚大使克里斯托弗·史蒂文斯(Christopher Stevens)。

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Ms. Clinton did better than at the 2013 Senate hearing. At that hearing, she responded angrily to a senator's question about mistakes made in Benghazi.

弗吉尼亚大学政治中心主任拉里·萨巴托（Larry Sabato）表示，克林顿女士比在2013年参议院听证会上表现得更好。在那次听证会上，她生气地回答了一位参议员关于班加西所犯错误的问题。

"What difference, at this point, does it make?" she asked. That remark was played over and over again on American TV news shows.

希拉里当时问到，“在这当口，这种区别有什么意义吗？”这段言论在美国电视新闻节目上一遍遍地被重播。

This time Ms. Clinton let House Democrats³ argue it out with Republicans.

这次克林顿女士让众议院民主党人同共和党人就此辩论。

"Clinton kept her cool, unlike in January 2013," Mr. Sabato said. "That was critical. She looked and sounded statesmanlike. That also was critical. Democrats loved it. Republicans hated it. Few if any minds were changed. But Democrats are even more likely to back her bid for president now. Unless somehow a massive event intervenes, she's the party nominee⁴."

萨巴托先生表示，“克林顿女士不像2013年一月那样，这次她保持了冷静，这是至关重要的。她的神态和语气都具有政治家风范，这也是至关重要的。民主党人喜欢它，而共和党人恨它，观点都没怎么变化。但是民主党人现在更支持她竞选总统。除非在某种程度上有大事件干预，要不然她就是民主党的总统候选人。”

This is a big difference from a few weeks ago, when her standing⁵ as the front-running Democratic presidential candidate was in question.

这同几周前有了巨大变化，当时她成为民主党总统候选人领先者还是个疑问。

Since then, she won a televised debate with her challengers for the Democratic presidential nomination⁶, according to most independent analysts.

自那时起，她赢得了一场同她的挑战者就民主党总统候选人提名的电视辩论。这是根据多数独立分析得出的结果。

And Vice⁷ President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he is not going to run for president.

而副总统拜登周三宣布他不会参加总统竞选。

That is good news for Ms. Clinton. She would have lost more votes to Biden supporters than to her chief Democratic challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.

这对希拉里来说是好消息。她会更多地输给拜登，而不是她在民主党的主要挑战者，佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯（Bernie Sanders）。

Also, two of her Democratic opponents, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, dropped out of the race this week.

此外，她的两位民主党对手吉姆·韦布（Jim Webb）和林肯·查菲（Lincoln Chafee）本周退出了竞选。

Even some conservative analysts admitted Ms. Clinton got the better of her Republican questioners.

甚至一些保守派分析师也承认，希拉里战胜了她的共和党质询者。

"The hearings are a waste of time because everything about it is politicized and nothing is going to happen," wrote conservative columnist⁸ Erick Erickson in his blog Friday.

“听证会是在浪费时间，因为关于它的一切都已经被政治化，不会有什么结果。”保守派专栏作家埃里克·埃里克森（Erick Erickson）在他的博客中这样写道。

However, there was some drama during the nationally televised hearings.

然而，在这场全国电视直播的听证会上发生了一些戏剧性事件。

In her opening statement, Ms. Clinton put her questioners on the defensive⁹ by saying how much the attack affected¹⁰ her personally.

在她的开场白中，克林顿女士通过表明这次袭击对她个人产生了多大影响，将她的质询者推到了守势。

"I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done."

她说，“我对这件事的反思比你们全部人加在一起都多，我失眠的时间比你们全部人加在一起都多。我绞尽脑汁考虑本可以做什么、本应该做什么。”

Republicans questioned her honesty.

共和党人质疑了她的诚信。

Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, said Ms. Clinton and other administration officials first blamed the attack on angry Muslims. But, he noted¹¹, Ms. Clinton had emailed her daughter and blamed terrorists.

俄亥俄州共和党人吉姆·乔丹（Jim Jordan）表示，克林顿女士和其他政府官员首先将这次袭击归咎于愤怒的穆斯林。但他指出，克林顿女士发电子邮件给她女儿，并将袭击归咎于恐怖分子。

"Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an Al Qaeda-like group," Ms. Clinton wrote.

克林顿女士（在给女儿的邮件中）写道，“我们两名官员在班加西被类似基地的组织杀害。”

Jordan said Clinton didn't want the true story to come out because "Libya was supposed to be ... this great success story for the Obama White House and the Clinton State Department."

乔丹表示，克林顿不想真相大白是因为利比亚原本应该是奥巴马治下的白宫和克林顿治下国务院的一场巨大的成功。

He asked why she didn't "just speak plain to the America people."

他问她为什么不向美国人民说清楚。

She responded: "I did state clearly, and I said it again in more detail the next morning, as did the president. I'm sorry that it doesn't fit your narrative¹², congressman¹³. I can only tell you what the facts were."

克林顿女士回应道：“我清楚得做了表述，第二天早上我还再次做了详细表述，奥巴马总统也是如此。我很抱歉这跟你说的不符。议员先生，我只能告诉你事实是怎样。”

Words in This Story

challenger -- n. an opponent or rival

pounding -- n. an beating, an attack

detractors -- n. those who try to defeat or dethrone another 

statesmanlike – a. someone who acts like an experienced leader

narrative -- n. the telling of events

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• 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。

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 nominee   

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。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 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。

7 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。

8 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

9 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

13 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。