VOA常速英语2007年-Former Seoul Mayor Closes In on S. Korean Presi

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
16 December 2007

A former Seoul mayor who bills himself as a pro-business conservative is expected to become South Korea's next president by an overwhelming margin¹ when voters go to the polls on Wednesday. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, Lee Myung-bak is appealing directly to South Korea's tradition of economic pragmatism.

Whether they support him or not, most South Koreans think the Lee Myung-bak political machine is headed for a decisive win.

Lee, the nominee² of the conservative Grand National Party has a strong lead in polling. His nearest rival trails Lee's 46 percent approval rating by about 30 points.

Lee's message is relatively³ simple, and he gets it across to international reporters.

"I will rebuild Korean economy," he said. "I will remake the Korean structure."

He promises to kick start an economy that many think has stalled under President Roh Moo-hyun.

Mr. Roh, whose term expires in January, is widely blamed for what voters consider indecisive management of the economy.

Lee derives⁴ some of his pro-business credentials⁵ from his past as a former chairman of a unit in South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate⁶. But his reputation as a hard-driving leader was perhaps most firmly established by a project he pushed through as mayor of Seoul.

Despite initial ridicule⁷, Lee managed to renew the Cheongyecheon stream, which runs through Seoul. In addition to beautifying the city, the project strikes a chord of Korean nationalism, because the stream was paved over by Japanese occupiers in the early 20th century.

Lee also says he will adjust what he considers an overly generous and uncritical approach toward communist North Korea, and exchange it for a "businesslike" approach. He says if North Korea verifiably gets rid of its nuclear weapons, he will work to transform its impoverished⁸ economy and raise North Korean per capita income to $3,000 a year within 10 years.

Lee says that includes a review of President Roh's promises for new inter-Korean projects, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Lee also says he will strengthen the country's alliance with the United States, which has been strained in part by President Roh's approach toward North Korea.

Lee's campaign was tarnished⁹ by allegations of past fraud and stock manipulation. Prosecutors¹⁰ recently cleared him of those charges, a move Lee's opponents call politically biased¹¹. Polling experts say even some of Lee's supporters doubt he is completely innocent of the allegations - however, their desire for political change outweighs¹² their reservations.

1 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

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 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

6 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

7 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

8 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

12 outweighs   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的第三人称单数 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Her need to save money outweighs her desire to spend it on fun. 她省钱的需要比她花钱娱乐的愿望更重要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Its clarity in algebraic and analytical operations far outweighs any drawbacks. 文化代数和解析运算中的清晰性远远胜过任何缺点。 来自辞典例句