IN THE NEWS

IN THE NEWS
By Cynthia Kirk and Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Saturday, July 31, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

 
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John Kerry, now officially the Democratic nominee² for president, has started a two-week campaign trip across the United States. Senator Kerry will travel by bus with his choice for vice³ president, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

The candidates left from Boston, Massachusetts, for the first stops in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. These are among the so-called battleground states that could decide the winner of the election on November second. President Bush had a day of appearances Friday in Missouri, Michigan and Ohio.

 
President Bush speaking Friday in Springfield, Missouri.
The Republican Party convention opens on August thirtieth in New York City. Delegates will nominate President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for a second term. National conventions take place every four years, before the presidential election.

John Kerry accepted his nomination⁴ Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In his acceptance speech, he told Americans that this is the most important election of their lifetime. He said the United States is a nation at war. In his words, "I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president."

 
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The sixty-year-old senator from Massachusetts spoke⁵ of his military service during the Vietnam War. He earned medals for his actions as commander of a Navy gunboat, though he later protested the war. As president, Mister Kerry said he would build a stronger military to deal with all its current responsibilities.

He said he would react quickly and forcefully to any attack. But he said he would never "mislead" the nation into war. Mister Kerry also said he would work to improve relations with other countries.

The Bush administration says Americans should question Mister Kerry's ability to protect the country and fight the war on terrorism. But the senator suggested that measures taken since the September eleventh, two-thousand-one, attacks threaten constitutional freedoms.

Mister Kerry criticized the Iraq war, as well as the president's economic record. He said wages are falling, health care costs are rising and the middle class in America is shrinking. He declared: "It is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families."

John Kerry has served in the Senate for twenty years. But many commentators⁶ said his acceptance speech in Boston was his most important speech ever. Political observers say the presidential race appears extremely close. John Kerry said his goal this week was to show voters that he could do better than President Bush.

Others who spoke at the Democratic convention included former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. And they included Al Gore⁷, the former vice president who lost to Mister Bush in the disputed election of two-thousand.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk and Jerilyn Watson. This is Steve Ember.

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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》

7 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。