时间:2018-11-29 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2011年(十二月)


英语课

Iowa Voters Play Special Role in Presidential Politics


The 2012 U.S. presidential election process officially begins Tuesday, the Midwestern state of Iowa. Republican voters will gather in caucus 1 meetings across the state to vote for one of seven Republicans hoping to face President Barack Obama in the November election.



Just another quiet winter’s day in the small town of Atlantic, nestled among the picturesque 2 farms and rolling hills of western Iowa. That is until presidential candidate Newt Gingrich rolled into town.



By now, Gingrich is familiar with the Iowa candidate’s routine. Chat with voters, take their questions and ask for their support. “And that is why I always tell audiences that I am not going to ask you to be for me, I am going to ask you to be with me," he said.



Across town at a diner, Ben Nelson and his pals 3 are digging into brunch 4.



It is all part of those small town Iowa values, he says. “It is really small, but it is nice because you know everybody and always seem to have a lot of fun," he said.



Over eggs and toast, Michael Dunn and his co-workers are ready for the coming caucus. When it comes to picking presidents, he says Iowans are pretty straightforward 5. “I think they look for integrity and honesty," he said.



Back at the Gingrich rally, Eleanor Becker has been won over. She says the personal contact with the candidate is essential. “Because you can gauge 6 whether they are telling you the truth, or if they are [trying to deceive you] sometimes," she said.



The voters here know Iowa plays a special role in the election process, says farmer Jim Pellet. “I think this is the testing ground for them. If they do not pass in Iowa they are not going to last for a long time," he said.



As the Gingrich bus leaves town, Atlantic turns quiet again, a small town in the American heartland that once every four years has its moment in the sun.



1 caucus
n.秘密会议;干部会议;v.(参加)干部开会议
  • This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
  • It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。
2 picturesque
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的
  • You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
  • That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
3 pals
n.朋友( pal的名词复数 );老兄;小子;(对男子的不友好的称呼)家伙
  • We've been pals for years. 我们是多年的哥们儿了。
  • CD 8 positive cells remarkably increased in PALS and RP(P CD8+细胞在再生脾PALS和RP内均明显增加(P 来自互联网
4 brunch
n.早午餐
  • They eat much the same thing for brunch every day.每天早午餐他们总是吃同样的东西。
  • What did you have for your brunch?你早午饭都吃些什么?
5 straightforward
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
6 gauge
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器
  • Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗?
  • It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。
学英语单词
2-thiophenesulfonamide
Aarhus
add bus
aditus laryngis
Ahinoam
alarm switch
anthropomorphs
anti-oedipus
articulation of head of rib
attendant desk
az zubayr
bedrights
begess
berscht
Blue-Cross
board-wages
bolograph
brick-on-edge paving
cargo-fuel ratio
cavate
cetyl pyridinium chloride
chloroguanide hydrochloride
communication satellite transponder
cowabungas
cubital venous pressure determinaton
decacyclic
diluvial hypothesis
distant subscriber
dolichocranial
dortha
dottores
end of subroutine
entire contract
find a way out
first-people
fixed differential reducing valve
Gougerot's syndrome
graphics plane
hair-follicle receptor
half wavelength criterion
illustratively
impedimetric cell
infantile roseola
intracerebellar
jomo kenyatas
kabaddi
length coefficient
Lifanga
megera
multicamera multispectrum camera
multiple surtax exemptions
nail Jell-O to a tree
nonejective
ocean going vessels mooring area
octaviation
office cash control
opinion piece
oxedrine tartrate
oyster spat
parts rack
plague-ridden
plasmologen
plate edge planing machine
play to win
plummetting
plycast
polynucleotidic
population migration
post-modernizations
preachily
premune
prevailing parties
procurators
proterokinetic
recoverable abnormal end
restacks
rigorized
rindervasopressin
rousseauism
rubber ring seat
rubber-base paint
Rubia podantha
San Jose
self-starvations
seller's credit
set-stock
singularity analysis
sound insulation of the body of a coach
Streptothrix hoffmanni
suction gas engine
toothed sword fern
unefficient
unscratched
vampire bloodline
velozzi
wash-hand stands
watergangs
weathered glass
Wee Free
woodward line source synthesis
yira