VOA慢速英语20061030b

THIS IS AMERICA - Election Day Will Bring Struggle for Power, Direction of USBy Brianna Blake

Broadcast: Monday, October 30, 2006

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Our subject this week is American politics. National elections are one week away.


US Capitol, Washington DC

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VOICE ONE:

The United States holds national elections every two years. This year, Election Day is Tuesday, November seventh. Americans will vote in local, state and congressional elections.

Voters will choose all four hundred thirty-five members of the House of Representatives. Voters will also choose thirty-three of the one hundred senators.

Each state has two senators and at least one representative -- the number depends on the population of each state. House members serve two-year terms. A Senate term is six years.

But these are called midterm elections because they come halfway¹ through the president's term. Midterm elections are often seen as a measure of how Americans feel about the policies of the president and Congress.

The Constitution limits presidents to two terms. President Bush, a Republican, won a second four-year term in two thousand four.

VOICE TWO:

The Republican Party has controlled the House since the elections of nineteen ninety-four. Republicans have also led the Senate since that time, except for a period between two thousand one and two thousand two.

The party of the president generally loses some seats in Congress in midterm elections. But this year the opposition² Democrats⁴ hope to gain enough seats to win back the House and possibly also the Senate. Yet, as hopeful as the Democrats might be, something else is also true. Once elected to Congress, lawmakers usually get re-elected again and again.

The Democrats need to gain fifteen seats to retake control of the House. In the Senate, they would need to capture six of the fifteen seats on the ballot⁵ that are now held by Republicans. At the same time, the Democrats would have to keep all eighteen seats that their own party will be defending on Election Day.

VOICE ONE:

Opinion studies show that two issues are helping⁶ the Democrats build support: unhappiness with the Iraq war and the economy. In some cases, the same is also true of another issue: the handling of the war on terrorism.

The war on terror is a top campaign issue for Republican candidates. And political commentators⁷ say the economy is in better condition than many people are giving the Republicans credit for.

VOICE TWO:


Rep. Mark Foley speaks at a news conference in Tallahassee, Florida (File photo)

In recent weeks there has been much discussion of the Mark Foley issue. Mister Foley was a Republican representative from the southeastern state of Florida. He resigned from Congress on September twenty-ninth. His resignation followed news that he sent sexual messages by e-mail and instant messaging to teenage boys.

The young men had been chosen as pages. Pages are high school students who act as messengers and helpers for members of Congress. The Justice Department, the House ethics⁸ committee and Florida officials have all opened investigations⁹.

VOICE ONE:

The Republican Party is known for its defense¹⁰ of traditional family values. But there are disputed accusations¹¹ that Republican leaders knew about Mark Foley's actions for some time and did not do enough to stop them.

Some opinion studies have suggested that this issue might not have much effect on many voters. But there is talk that it could decrease the number of social conservatives who plan to vote. Social conservatives are traditionally among the most loyal voting groups for Republicans.

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VOICE TWO:

The Democrats have proposed a legislative¹² program they call A New Direction for America. One goal is to raise the federal minimum wage for the lowest paid workers for the first time in ten years. Another goal is to end what the Democrats call tax giveaways to large oil companies.

The Democrats also say their plan will provide what they call real security at home and overseas. They say they will reshape what they describe as failed Bush administration policies in Iraq, the Middle East and around the world.

VOICE ONE:

President Bush says Republican leadership has improved the economy and kept America safe. Mister Bush says he believes these are the most important issues to voters. The president says the Democrats would raise taxes, while the Republicans would keep taxes low.

Mister Bush says the nation is safer now than it was before the September eleventh attacks five years ago, but still under threat.

The president has called Iraq the central front in the war on terror. But a majority of those questioned in recent opinion studies said they disapprove¹³ of the president's handling of the war. Even so, measures of public opinion suggest that most Americans do not support an immediate¹⁴ withdrawal¹⁵ from Iraq.

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VOICE TWO:

With Americans closely divided politically, the balance of power in Congress could rest with independent voters. Will they choose Democrats or Republicans?

A Republican congressman¹⁶ from Illinois, Ray LaHood, was on a television news program a month before the coming elections. He said this was going to be the most difficult thirty days in the last twelve years that Republicans have been in the majority.

Many political scientists say the Democrats are in a good position to win the fifteen additional seats they need to retake the House. But the experts believe it will be more difficult to gain the six seats needed to win back the Senate.

VOICE ONE:

There are intense battles over some of those seats. In Tennessee, Democrat³ Harold Ford¹⁷ faces Republican Bob Corker for the seat of retiring Senator Bill Frist. Mister Ford, if he wins, would be the first African-American senator elected by a southern state since the late eighteen hundreds. He currently serves in the House of Representatives.

VOICE TWO:

This year's elections could be especially important for the two largest minority groups in the United States 鈥?Latinos and blacks. Latinos historically do not vote in large numbers. But this year may be different. Earlier this year Latinos held big demonstrations¹⁸ to demand immigration reform. They also denounced proposals to increase punishments for illegal immigrants.

The recent debate over immigration could lead greater numbers of Latinos to vote in the elections next week. If that happens, it could affect the results in some states.

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VOICE ONE:

More African-American candidates are competing this year than ever before. A record six black candidates are running for either governor or senator.

Ken¹⁹ Blackwell, a Republican, is one of the six: he hopes to become governor of Ohio. Another Republican, Michael Steele, is running for senator from Maryland.


Barrack Obama stands atop a desk during a speech in the village of Kogelo, Kenya

The House of Representatives currently has forty black members. The Senate has one. Barack Obama is a popular young Democrat who was elected in Illinois in two thousand four. He is the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.

This Election Day, voters in thirty-six of the fifty states will choose governors. The first black governor elected in more than a century was Douglas Wilder in Virginia in nineteen eighty-nine. On November seventh, in Massachusetts, Democrat Deval Patrick could become the second.

VOICE TWO:

Candidates and interest groups spend lots of money to campaign by television, radio, telephone and, increasingly, the Internet. But the Internet can help or hurt a candidate.

In August, Senator George Allen of Virginia was speaking at a campaign event. He saw he was being videotaped by a worker from his opponent's campaign. The senator made fun of him and used a term that many people considered a racial insult. The young man with the camera was of South Asian ancestry²⁰.

Soon the world could see the video on the video-sharing Web site YouTube. The senator, seen as a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination²¹ in two years, apologized. But that incident helped smash the big lead he had in his race against Democrat Jim Webb.

Technology is an issue not just for candidates but also for voters. Many people are not sure they trust the electronic voting machines that are replacing older equipment. They worry about security and, in many cases, the lack of a paper record of ballots²² in case any recounts are needed this Election Day.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Brianna Blake and produced by Caty Weaver²³. You can find MP3 files and transcripts²⁴ of our programs, and learn more about American issues, at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA. And be sure to listen to VOA Special English on the radio or the Web for results of the November seventh elections. You can also hear special coverage²⁵ on VOA News Now.

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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》

5 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。

6 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。

7 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

12 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

13 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

16 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。

17 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

18 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

19 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

20 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

21 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。

22 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》

23 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

24 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

25 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。