VOA慢速英语 2007 0106b

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

American history was made, and remembered, this week in Washington.


Nancy Pelosi is welcomed by former speaker Dennis Hastert

On Thursday, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives. The new Congress opened with Democrats¹ in the majority in both houses for the first time in twelve years.

New members in the House include the first Muslim member of Congress. Keith Ellison of Minnesota placed his left hand on a Koran during a ceremonial swearing-in. He used a Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson, America's third president.

But before the one hundred tenth Congress opened, Americans looked back at an earlier chapter in their history.

Funeral services and a national day of mourning took place this week for
Gerald Ford³ became president during a dark period for the country

Gerald Ford. America's thirty-eighth president died on December twenty-sixth at his home in California. Mister Ford, a Republican, was ninety-three years old.

He was remembered as a likeable man who brought calm and healing to a nation torn by the political dirty tricks known as Watergate. But for many, that time in the early nineteen seventies also represents the end of a period of high public trust in government.

Gerald Ford became the only American ever to serve as president and vice² president without election to either office. That was after he served in Congress for more than twenty years.

President Richard Nixon asked him to replace vice president Spiro Agnew. Agnew had resigned over accusations⁴ of financial corruption⁵.

But less than a year later, in August of nineteen seventy-four, Nixon resigned because of Watergate. Had he not, Congress might have removed him from office.

The Watergate scandal is the name given to illegal activities by President Nixon's nineteen seventy-two re-election committee. The name comes from a group of buildings in Washington, the Watergate complex. A failed break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices there led to the discovery of the illegal activities.

The discovery came from an investigation⁶ by two young reporters at the Washington Post -- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

President Nixon ordered his aides to hide evidence of the wrongdoing. A White House recording⁷ proved it. Soon after the tapes became public, he resigned.

Then, a month after Gerald Ford became president, he pardoned Richard Nixon for all offenses⁸ he may have committed. Mister Ford often said the pardon was a necessary step to unite the country. To this day, there is debate about whether he acted correctly. It meant Richard Nixon never had to face trial.

About forty people were charged with Watergate-related crimes.

Gerald Ford's decision may have cost him the nineteen seventy-six election. He lost to Jimmy Carter in a close race. Mister Ford's presidency⁹ lasted just twenty-nine months.

The former president was buried Wednesday at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Mario Ritter.

1 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》

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 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。

7 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

8 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

9 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。