2006年VOA标准英语-Political Parties Make Final Push for Votes in

By Jim Malone
Washington
06 November 2006

A U.S. congressional election campaign dominated by the war in Iraq is drawing to a close, with opposition¹ Democrats² expecting to make gains when the vote takes place on Tuesday. VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the midterm congressional election from Washington.

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A woman shows her support Republican congressional candidate Max Burns, Nov. 6, 2006 during a campaign stop in Savannah, Georgia
  
Late opinion polls suggest Republicans may be narrowing the gap with Democrats in some key congressional races, especially in half a dozen close Senate contests that will determine which party controls that chamber³ for the next two years.

Democrats remain confident about their prospects⁴ to win control of the 435-member House of Representatives for the first time since 1994. Most experts predict the Democrats will gain the 15 seats they need to retake the House.

The prospects for Democratic control of the Senate are less certain. Democrats need to pick up six seats to gain a majority there and they would have to sweep most of the close Senate races now underway in Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, Montana and Rhode Island. Four of those seats are currently held by Republicans.

Sen. Christopher Dodd campaigns for a Democratic candidate (file photo)  
  
In the final hours of the campaign, both parties focused on getting their core supporters to turn out at the polls on Tuesday.

Senator Chris Dodd campaigned for fellow Democrats in the northeastern state of Connecticut.

"Two more days and Democrats are going to take back the House of Representatives and the United States Senate and we are back on the trail again here," he said.

President Bush also kept a busy campaign schedule on behalf of Republican candidates around the country. The president urged voters to ignore opinion polls and experts that predict Democratic victories on election day.

President Bush speaks at a campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida, Nov. 6, 2006  
  
"Whatever you do, do not pay any attention to the prognosticators, the pundits," he said. You see, a bunch of them have already decided⁵ that the verdict is in. But they forgot that the folks in Kansas have not gotten to the polls yet."

Perhaps no Senate race is closer than the one in Missouri between the Republican incumbent⁶, Jim Talent, and his Democratic challenger, Claire McCaskill.

Both of them rallied supporters in the final hours of the campaign.

"Keep pushing. Another 48 hours and we will win this election," said Talent.

"We are going to win when it counts on Tuesday," said McCaskill.

Democrats remain optimistic about their election chances in large part because of public unhappiness over the war in Iraq and President Bush's low approval rating.

"The decisive issue is Iraq," said public opinion pollster John Zogby. "It is what has divided this country and it is what has lost popularity for the president and for the Republicans."

Republicans are counting on a repeat of their superior get-out-the-vote effort in recent election campaigns to limit Democratic gains on Tuesday.

In addition to the 435 House seats, 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate are at stake and 36 states will elect governors on Tuesday. Voters in 37 states will also be asked to vote on an assortment⁷ of ballot⁸ questions on issues that include abortion⁹, homosexual marriage, and embryonic¹⁰ stem cell research.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

7 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。

8 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

9 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

10 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。