VOA标准英语2009-European Parliament Elections Seeing Low Tur

Voters across Europe are casting their ballots¹ in European elections, expected to see a record low voter turnout and gains for far-right and far-left parties. In Italy, scandal hit Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the only leader of a large EU member state to stand as head of an electoral list.
　
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, left, shakes hands with host Alessio Vincigestures during the recording² of the talk show Matrix, in Rome, 05 Jun 2009

Voter apathy³ is expected to characterize the election to select new representatives for the European Union's parliament. Italy is representative of this situation. Voting resumed across the country Sunday following a slow first day.

Just more than 17 percent of eligible⁴ voters cast their ballots on Saturday, but polling stations will remain open until 10 pm. With European Union issues taking a backseat in the election campaign, the vote in Italy is widely viewed as a test of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's popularity.

The Italian-government leader has been caught up in a scandal, involving his friendship with an 18-year-old woman. Mr. Berlusconi's private life has come under intense scrutiny⁵ in the past few weeks with the publication in a Spanish newspaper of a photo of topless women at his seaside villa⁶ in Sardinia.

The prime minister has condemned⁷ it as an invasion of privacy and his lawyer has said he would take legal action against the newspaper. Mr. Berlusconi is hoping for a strong victory in the elections that will show that the scandal is not affecting him politically.

A major issue dominating this vote is also the government's stance on immigration. Mr. Berlusconi recently said that when he walks the streets of Milan, he sees so many non-Italians he feels he is no longer in an Italian or European city, but in an African one.

The results of the vote are expected to signal whether the anti-immigration Northern League, the junior partner in Mr. Berlusconi's conservative coalition⁸, can emulate⁹ the success of similar parties elsewhere in Europe.

Italians are electing 72 European Union MPs. Voters are also casting ballots to elect thousands of municipal candidates, including the mayors of some major cities. This man is voting in earthquake stricken l'Aquila.

He says that for the first time he is voting in a tent and he hopes it will be the last.

Turnout in the area is also much lower, with 60,000 people still living in tents and overcrowded hotels on the Adriatic coast, following a devastating¹⁰ quake two months ago.

1 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》

2 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。

3 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

6 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。