时间:2019-01-11 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(十一月)


英语课
This presidential election season has been one of the longest, costliest 1 and most complex in modern history, and mobilizing voters and the election apparatus 2 for what is forecast to be a record-large turnout has been a challenge. With Election Day drawing near, VOA's Adam Phillips traveled to central Pennsylvania to get a sense of that process as Americans in this politically critical swing state prepare to vote.
 






These ladies are official Centre County poll workers. They have just received training in the county's new optical-scan machines



As the two-year-long presidential campaign process approaches its Tuesday climax 3, the residents of Centre County, Pennsylvania, are being barraged 4 by a near-endless round of TV ads and telephone "robo calls." However, it may be door-to-door canvassing 5 by familiar locals like Joanne, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, that will win over the majority of the county's crucial undecided voters before the polls open on Election Day.

"I am a neighbor-to-neighbor volunteer," says Joanne, "which means I go around [to the people in my community] and help make them aware of the issues, and, most importantly, help them to know how important it is to get out and vote."

Student Organizers Urge Peers to Vote

With over 43 thousand registered students in its University Park campus alone, Penn State University is one of the largest communities in central Pennsylvania. That's where you see "information tables" set up in the student center where students hand out campaign stickers for their preferred candidates and try to get their peers to register to vote.

Sophomore 6 Zachary Zabel, president of Penn State Students for Obama, says all that hard work has been paying off for his candidate.

"Over the last few months, we've built a large grassroots network through meetings, Facebook, just 'tabling' in general, and signing up volunteers," says Zabel, adding, "Now we are getting into 'get out the vote.' We have, say, three or four hundred students who come in every week and make phone calls and go canvassing."

For now, polls indicate that Obama leads McCain in State College, Pennsylvania. But Zabel says making sure that the students who have registered actually vote on November 2 can make all the difference in Centre County - and perhaps even the state and the nation.

"… So we are going to be dragging students to the polls on Election Day [and] make it fun," Zabel says. "[We] tell them that this is the most important election you'll ever be involved in your lives."

Elections Board Prepares for Record-Large Turnout
 






Joyce McKinley, the director of Centre County, Pennsylvania's Board of Elections, oversees 7 all aspects of voting in her county




Every election is important to Joyce McKinley, who has been Centre County's director of elections for nearly 20 years. Training the poll clerks, inspectors 8 and precinct judges who will be manning the county's polling stations - and their new optical-scan voting machines - is only one of McKinley's jobs. McKinley has also been responsible for ensuring that all ballots 9 are properly prepared and all absentee ballots are accounted for and tabulated 10, as well as scores of other tasks. And that's all before Election Day.

"The average citizen has no idea what is involved in the preparation for the election," she says with a happy sigh. "[It's] pretty complicated. Do we anticipate lines? Yes. It will be a high voter turnout. But my goal is to have a successful election."

Disability Rights Activist 11 Works to Make Sure Disabled Have Access to Polls

Merely getting to the polls on Election Day is often a challenge for the elderly and disabled. But with the record-large voter turnout expected this year, the hurdles 12 facing these individuals are both higher and more numerous, says Joel Solkoff. He's a wheelchair-bound disability rights activist from State College.
 






Joel Solkoff, a disability rights activist, is working hard to make sure the disabled and the elderly get to vote easily




"One [hurdle] is because some of the boards of elections are not wheelchair accessible," says Solkoff, adding that the frigid 13 weather can also be a major challenge. "And it can be difficult casting ballots because the software that is being used at the polls is new, and everyone no one that using software by people who are not trained can break down."

In anticipation 14 of these and other problems, Solkoff has been focusing on "absentee" ballots and so-called "alternative ballots," whose purpose, in his words, is "to try to get the voters to cast their ballots outside the polling place but in such a way that their votes are counted."

Solkoff believes that if enough old and disabled people vote, it could help ensure that candidates favorable to the Social Security and Medicare benefits they depend on will be elected, both locally and nationally. That, says Solkoff, is why he is going to work overtime 15 until Election Day to transport people to the county offices where alternative ballots are cast and counted.

It's just one of many efforts taking place at the grassroots and official levels to ensure that America's complicated election process works as it should.



adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 );代价高的;引起困难的;造成损失的
  • At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失,是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
  • Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰?克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网
n.装置,器械;器具,设备
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点
  • The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
  • His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。
v.火力攻击(或阻击)( barrage的过去式和过去分词 );以密集火力攻击(或阻击)
  • We immediately barraged the enemy stronghold with a torrent of rifle fire. 我们立刻用密集的步枪火力攻击敌人据点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Our troops barraged against the enemy with a torrent of rifle fire. 我军以密集的步枪火力向敌人开火。 来自互联网
v.(在政治方面)游说( canvass的现在分词 );调查(如选举前选民的)意见;为讨论而提出(意见等);详细检查
  • He spent the whole month canvassing for votes. 他花了整整一个月四处游说拉选票。
  • I'm canvassing for the Conservative Party. 我在为保守党拉选票。 来自辞典例句
n.大学二年级生;adj.第二年的
  • He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
  • I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。
v.监督,监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )
  • She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网
n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 );(英国公共汽车或火车上的)查票员;(警察)巡官;检阅官
  • They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过,通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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 )
  • 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》
把(数字、事实)列成表( tabulate的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Results for the test program haven't been tabulated. 试验的结果还没有制成表格。
  • A large number of substances were investigated and the relevant properties tabulated. 已经研究了多种物质,并将有关性质列成了表。
n.活动分子,积极分子
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 );跳栏;(供人或马跳跃的)栏架;跨栏赛
  • In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时,必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句
adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的
  • The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨,他在下面呆不了太长时间。
  • She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。
n.预期,预料,期望
  • We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
  • The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
adj.超时的,加班的;adv.加班地
  • They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
  • He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。
学英语单词
acnodal cubic
acoustic instrument
Albert's staining
atomizing apparatus
automatic information retrieval system (airs)
back-bench
bar hopped
Billroth's suture
Bouclans
Bowman's membranes
braunsapis mixta
bridge arch
burst correction
chromatic transference scale
coinstituted
Corallinaceae
corance
core-halo galaxy
crural fossae
cutaneous amebiasis
cyanogenetic glycoside
cylinder plug gauge
default button
disc handwheel
dogfoods
ear hustlin'
Eppenrod
experimental diabetes
extentions
faced time
file reconstitution
finite life design
Flavoteben
for months
Fundamental forecasting
gear type locating ring
geast
glucosides
gross sum
harvest-times
heat service conveyor belt
heavy cargo ship
home-lovings
hygrometer calibration chamber
Hyoid-cartilage
hypercorticism
inaudibility
incretory glands
independent linking up gear
information and communications technology
infrared measurement
inter-utereral
investment in affiliates
journey at reduced fare
Kivertsi
kosraeans
lasianthus obliquinervis simizui
lateral lymph nodes
Lima Duarte
lintel(l)ed
m'raq
made the rounds
Medroeort
methanolates
monomachia
Morris County
myoplasty
navving
Niono
non-dispersive infrared
off air call setup
orizio
out-out business
outfittings
parafollicular cells
parameter group identifier
patient-monitoring
Paton.
phalacrotophora (plalacrotophora) flaviclava
Pindarist
podolampas palmipes
portal frame type platform
post-replication repair
potting machine
poured joint filler
pterospermum acerifoliums
pulse mode multiplex
re-lease
rushliker
Salenijdae
salutatory address
sampling system of reactor
social distance scale
subcontrols
sylvians
tercentenary
typing by looking
unhabituated
unstaled
up-todate
Zebulon