VOA标准英语2014--New Jersey Gov. Christie Apologizes for Bridge Scandal 美国新泽西州州长为“堵桥门”政治丑闻道歉

 

New Jersey¹ Gov. Christie Apologizes for Bridge Scandal 美国新泽西州州长为“堵桥门”政治丑闻道歉

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a top Republican contender for the 2016 presidential election, says he is "embarrassed" and "heartbroken" by the conduct of some of his staff.

Christie held a news conference Thursday to say he didn't know about the alleged² misconduct of close associates engaged in a politically motivated scandal involving partial closure of the George Washington Bridge, one of the busiest spans in the United States.

A contrite³ Christie apologized for the closures and said that he fired subordinates who lied to him.

“I am embarrassed and humiliated⁴ by the conduct of some of the people on my team," said Christie, a possible Republican presidential candidate. "There is no doubt in my mind that the conduct that they exhibited is completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and for the people that we’re trusted to serve.”

For four days in September, abrupt⁵ and unexpected lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey to New York City and carries some 300,000 vehicles on a typical day, brought traffic to a standstill.

At Thursday's press conference, the governor denied charges he or his team ordered the closures to punish Mayor Mark Sokolich of Fort Lee, New Jersey, for refusing to support Christie's bid for reelection.

But recently released e-mails from one of the governor’s aides confirmed his team’s involvement. Christie said that he did not know of his subordinates' involvement but that takes responsibility for those who authorized⁶ the closure of traffic lanes.

Christie vowed⁷ to go to Fort Lee to personally apologize to the mayor and the people affected⁸ by the traffic jams around the George Washington Bridge.

He announced that he has fired one aide, withdrawn⁹ support for his former campaign manager to become the state's Republican Party chairman. He also defended himself against charges that he is a bully¹⁰ who uses his power for political revenge.

“Folks who have worked with me over a long period of time would, I believe, tell you that I am tough, but I have shown over the last four years [that] the tone we’ve set here [is] that I’m willing to compromise, that I’m willing to work with others,” he said.

Governor Christie said he will cooperate with a State Assembly investigation¹¹ into the bridge scandal and will conduct his own internal review.

Experts say the damage from these emails undermine his efforts to appear tough without looking like a bully. The politician has not shied away from loud confrontations¹² in the political arena¹³.

1 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 contrite   

adj.悔悟了的，后悔的，痛悔的

参考例句：

• She was contrite the morning after her angry outburst.她发了一顿脾气之后一早上追悔莫及。
• She assumed a contrite expression.她装出一副后悔的表情。

4 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

5 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

6 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

7 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

8 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。

9 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

10 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

13 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。