2007年VOA标准英语-Obama, Romney to Formally Enter US Presidential

By Jim Malone
Washington
09 February 2007

Two more presidential candidates, Democrat¹ Barack Obama and Republican Mitt² Romney, will formally announce their entry into the 2008 race for the White House over the next few days. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

 
Barack Obama
Senator Obama will make his formal announcement in his home state of Illinois on Saturday. In addition to being the only African-American candidate in the race so far, Obama, at 45, is also one of the youngest.

Obama was one of several Democratic contenders who recently spoke³ to party activists⁴ meeting in Washington.

"So, we have got to rise up out of the cynicism that has become so pervasive⁵, and ask the people all across America to start believing again," he said. "We have always been at our best in this country when we aim high."

At the moment, Obama trails Senator Hillary Clinton in public opinion polls, as does former North Carolina Senator John Edwards. Several other Democrats⁶ are running for president, but have gained little traction⁷ either in the polls or in raising money.

Some analysts⁹ have questioned whether Obama, who has served in the Senate for two years, has enough experience to be president.

Others predict Obama will have to be more specific about the policies he would attempt to carry out, if he were elected.

Ron Walters is a political expert at the University of Maryland. He says voters will get to know Obama better as he undergoes the intense media scrutiny¹⁰ of a U.S. presidential campaign.

"Barack Obama, I would suspect, as he defines himself more clearly, then, I think, the nature of his support will begin to divide accordingly," he said.

 
Mitt Romney addresses Detroit Economic Club, 7 Feb 2007
In the Republican race, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will formally launch his presidential campaign in his home state of Michigan on Tuesday.

Romney will then visit the early presidential contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina as he tries to build support in a race that is expected to include Arizona Senator John McCain and former New York Cith Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Romney supports President Bush's new strategy in Iraq as a key part of the overall war on terror.

Romney spoke about his priorities during a campaign trip to Iowa late last year.

"And it is essential for us to recognize the threats from the jihadists, the economic challenge from Asia, and to protect the values and culture such as opportunity, risk taking, education, religion," he said. "All these elements that make up our society, these have to be protected."

 
John McCain, 30 Jan 2007 
At the moment, Romney trails both Giuliani and McCain in public opinion polls. But Romney hopes to gain support from some religious conservatives in the Republican Party, who may have doubts about the two leading candidates.

Independent political analyst⁸ Stuart Rothenberg says the large fields of candidates in both parties could lead to some surprises when the presidential nominating process gets underway next January.

"Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, the former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, is a major political figure," he said. "There are lots of other candidates who are running, and there could easily be surprises."

The 2008 race is unique in that neither the current president nor vice¹¹ president will be mounting a campaign next year. The last time that happened was in 1928, when President Calvin Coolidge declined to run for re-election and the Republicans nominated his commerce secretary, Herbert Hoover, who won the election.

1 democrat   

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 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

6 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》

7 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 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。

10 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

11 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。