VOA标准英语10月-Swing State Voters Voice Anxiety, Hope

Centre County, Pennsylvania, as its name implies, is located in the dead center of this diverse heartland state in the northeastern United States. It's home to liberal-leaning State College, as well as large numbers of older retirees and working poor. This once-prosperous manufacturing region offers a cross section of the attitudes and concerns of American voters as the November 4 presidential election nears. VOA's Adam Phillips was there.
　

The Honey Creek1 Inn is a favorite local eatery, where locals gather for breakfast and spirited conversation

It's Saturday morning at the Honey Creek Inn, a cozy² "family-style" restaurant in Reedsville, Pennsylvania, where Centre County locals typically meet for coffee, eggs and conversation. These days, those conversations are heavily focused on the upcoming presidential election.

Centre County, Pennsylvania, is a swing county in a swing state, and Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee³, and Senator John McCain, his Republican rival, have been campaigning hard to win over the critical bloc⁴ of undecided voters here.

But Dave, a retired⁵ machinist who remembers when this area was humming with mills and factories, now long shut, has made his decision not to vote for anyone.

"They're all crooks⁶!" he says. "Ain't no one going to help the common person. The middle class doesn't get any help. But people out there are struggling."
　

The Pennsylvania Match Factory in Bellefonte was a leading producer of wooden matches before it closed in 1947, according to the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association

Many residents here believe that a lot of that struggling has been caused by America's free-trade policy. Centre County has seen almost all of its factories shuttered or relocated over the past decade or so. The last major one, a brass⁷ fittings business, closed its doors this year.

"I want a president who is going to put an end to giving bonuses to a company that outsources jobs outside of the United States," says Pam, an office clerk. "We need to keep the jobs here."

When asked whether either of the candidates is paying attention to that issue, she says, without conviction, "Barack promises to."

McCain's Foreign Policy Experience, Obama's Community Activism Attract Supporters
　

Rain soaks Main Street in Lewistown, located in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

As in many areas of rural America, a large proportion of Centre County residents are Bible-toting Christians⁹ like Al. He believes Barack Obama is a Muslim, even though Obama, who is Christian⁸, has repeatedly denied being a Muslim.

"And I believe if Obama is elected, one of the first things he's gonna do is separate us from Israel," Al says with a grimace¹⁰. "And that'll be the downfall of the United States."

National security is a top priority for Vicky, who also supports McCain.

"I never want to see another attack on our country again, and I think John McCain would definitely be the person for that because of his military background," she says.
　

Joanne, of State College, Pennsylvania, supports Obama's emphasis on community activism and grassroots democracy

It is Obama's roots in community organizing rather than international politics that have inspired Joanne, of State College, Pennsylvania - a liberal university town - to work for his campaign.

"I like his philosophy of the importance of local politics and people being involved in their communities," she says.

When asked whether Centre County residents outside State College take that view, she says she is not sure, adding, "I do think that more than anything, people are interested in seeing change and no more [President George W.] Bush."

Support Wanes¹¹ for Bush, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Indeed, restaurant owner Betty Lawhead says that while many of her patrons voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, she believes most would be voting for Barack Obama on Election Day 2008.
　

Honey Creek Inn owner Betty Lawhead is both furious and saddened by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which many of Centre County's young people have enlisted12 to fight

"… Except for the fact that he's black. That's too bad, but that's the way it is," she says. "We've never had a lot of black people in this area. It's kind of a touchy¹³ subject."

Many people in Centre County supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and have watched as their children have enlisted to fight. But seven years and 100s of billions of dollars in war costs later, many have changed their mind. Betty Lawhead, for her part, was against the war from the start, but her opposition¹⁴ has only intensified¹⁵ over time.

"I am absolutely furious about it, and I think a lot of people in this area are, too. We've had some people horribly wounded that come back here. It's terrible!" she says with an audible sob¹⁶.
　

"Sissy" supported the war in Iraq and Afghanistan at first but now thinks those billions might be spent on health care and other helps for the working poor and the homeless

"Sissy" works two low-wage cleaning jobs to support her two children and grandchild. She believes, mistakenly, that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein played a role in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and she thinks that justified¹⁷ the U.S. invasion of Iraq in early 2003.

"At first I felt 'Yeah, get in there [and] support them.' But now that we're stuck there and nothing is really changing that much," Sissy says. "That's money out of our pockets that we could be helping¹⁸ our own homeless, our own people that are going hungry, and people that can't afford health care."

Middle-Class Voters Concerned About Financial Stability, Retirement¹⁹

Such social concerns are fueling a lot of anger at the recent $700 billion federal bailout of the American financial industry. The huge commitment of taxpayer²⁰ dollars is likely to leave little surplus for the ambitious health care plan Barack Obama hopes to put in place if elected. To William, an elderly retiree, that's an outrage²¹.

"Why should we save the banks?" he asks. "As far as I'm concerned, to hell with them!"
　

Truck driver Joe and his wife Kathy, both of whom are Baby Boomers, are deeply concerned about the solvency22 of the Social Security system and an anxiety-free retirement

These days, Joe, a truck driver, and his wife Kathy are most concerned about the solvency of the federally funded retirement system known as Social Security.

"I am one of the Baby Boomers that are going to retire in 10 years, and I am not even sure I am going to have Social Security when I retire," Joe says.

He wants reassurance²³ "so that my kids, when they retire, will have what my father had before me and my grandfather had."

Waitress Kelley Coburn, a single mom who doubles as a dental assistant, already works seven days a week and is aware that both McCain and Obama have economic recovery plans.

"… But I'll believe it when I see it," she says. "I want to see action the day they go into office."
　

Waitress Kelley Coburn says she wants results, not promises alone, from the next president

She believes many politicians are out of touch with the values and experiences of normal Americans like herself and the customers for whom she pours coffee.

"I am an honest person, and I want our politicians to be honest and hardworking also, she says. "I want to see results!"

Coburn and other residents of this corner of Pennsylvania will be after results by casting their ballots²⁴ on November 4th. Local election board officials are preparing for the largest voter turnout in the region's history.

　

1 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

2 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

3 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。

4 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 crooks   

n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The police are getting after the crooks in the city. 警察在城里追捕小偷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cops got the crooks. 警察捉到了那些罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

8 Christian   

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 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

10 grimace   

v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭

参考例句：

• The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。
• Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。

11 wanes   

v.衰落( wane的第三人称单数 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• The moon waxes till it becomes full, and then wanes. 月亮渐盈，直到正圆，然后消亏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The moon waxes and wanes every month. 月亮每个月都有圆缺。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 touchy   

adj.易怒的；棘手的

参考例句：

• Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心，因为他容易生气。
• He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。

14 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。

15 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

17 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

18 helping   

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。

19 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

20 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

21 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

22 solvency   

n.偿付能力，溶解力

参考例句：

• Fears about the solvency of the banks precipitated the great economic crash.对银行偿付能力出现恐慌更加速了经济的崩溃。
• Their targets,including profitability ratios,solvency ratios,asset management ratios.其指标包括盈利比率、偿债能力比率、资产管理比率。

23 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

24 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》