时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(八月)


英语课

The world has watched with growing interest these last few days as the U.S. Democratic Party chose Barack Obama as its presidential candidate, the first African-American to be a major party nominee 1. U.S. presidential elections always generate interest around the world, but rarely as much as Barack Obama's candidacy has. VOA's Sonja Pace has more from London.
 
Sen. Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, daughters Malia (2nd from r) and Sasha wave after his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, 28 Aug 2008


Europeans tend to watch American party conventions with fascination 2 and wonder - the carnival 3 atmosphere, the balloons, placards and fireworks are all far removed from the much more staid European political norms.


But, this particular presidential contest has stirred a great deal of fascination and the reason is Barack Obama.


He is the first African-American chosen by a mainstream 4, major political party as its candidate and the first one with a realistic shot at the White House. But, Barack Obama is also young, articulate and talks about hopes and dreams.


That message clearly resonated with the more than 200,000 people who turned out in Berlin to hear Obama speak there in July.


His words also seem to strike a chord with many across the globe. One woman in China, who gives her name as Mrs. Zhao, tells VOA she thinks Obama is inspirational.


He's young she says, and "when he speaks he's really able to say, how shall I put it, inspirational things. America needs this kind of voice."


Another person on the streets of Beijing says he is also impressed. "He's friendly and he cares about citizens, he cares about people," he said.


In parts of the Middle East reactions were less effusive 5 and any choice for U.S. president will be viewed through the prism of the local situation.


A young Israeli medical student who gave his name only as Shai, told VOA he likes Obama, but has concerns.


"I'm afraid he will not be as hard with Iran as we wish he would be," he said. "The other [issue]… I hope he will be hard with Israel and force it to withdraw from the West Bank and to form a Palestinian state, but I am sure he will not do so. But, I'm sure John McCain will not do so [either]."


Reaction to Obama was even tougher in traditionally Arab East Jerusalem, where 65-year-old Jamal expressed serious and often-heard doubts about American policy, no matter who is in the White House. "Mr. Obama is like Mr. Bush, like all of them," he said. "No one does anything for the Palestinians. Only for the Jewish. For the Palestinians, no one in America will do anything."


But the skepticism of the Middle East is not shared everywhere. In Kenya, the homeland of Barack Obama's African father, has been watching his presidential campaign with a combination of interest and pride.


Speaking with VOA from the streets of Nairobi, Peter Odhiambo, 59, describes Obama as young, energetic, visionary. "One thing is that Obama is connected to Africa, then he is close to Africa and he knows a lot about Africa," he said.


Several people cited Obama's Kenyan background and said they felt he would do more to help disadvantaged people in Africa and elsewhere.


Travel agent, Mercy Kamau says Obama's candidacy is a dream come true for many Africans. "I think he's a great role model for Afro-Americans and for the Africans at large," said Kamau.


In Europe, Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Denver was carried on many television screens across the continent, his picture made every front page of every major newspaper. In its front-page headline the British daily, the Times described Obama's candidacy as a "date with destiny."



1 nominee
n.被提名者;被任命者;被推荐者
  • 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。
2 fascination
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋
  • He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
  • His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。
3 carnival
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演
  • I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
  • Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。
4 mainstream
n.(思想或行为的)主流;adj.主流的
  • Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
  • Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。
5 effusive
adj.热情洋溢的;感情(过多)流露的
  • Every visitor noticed that her effusive welcome was not sincere.所有的客人都看出来她那过分热情的欢迎是不真诚的。
  • Her effusive thanks embarrassed everybody.她道谢时非常激动,弄得大家不好意思。
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abrupt deceleration vehicle
achromachia
apacked
Auricularia auricula
australian pitcher plants
Avast hauling!
bepuff
beslabbered
buffered filter paper
Bulgarevo
buoyancy curve
cadmium sulphide
Catalpa L.
chrysandiol
Congo floor maggot
DC electric propulsion plant
defilippis
ecomil
eelworms
egg-white protein
engineering geological classification of rock mass
engraftment
eusebia
Evangelista Torricelli
evasion error
exponential expansion
fallopiuss
field-sequential system
fight up to the last ditch
final-year
fotp
geard
get a cold reception
guide block
hangava
hansler
harbo(u)r operational zone
Hemitrichia
heteragraft
high velocity liquid jet machining
high-voltage glow tube
hormone culture-medium
hydnocarpus wightiana bl.
hytners
I fear
illtempered
Indosasa patens
information given in a questionnaire
information retrieval system evaluation
initial steam admission
insoluble solides
irrigated soil
Kinnitty
Kolomonyi
lactic-acid
Lithocarpus
LVTR
magnetohydrodynamic propulsion plant
manganese(iv) silicide
marmalade trees
mattings
mesengium
microvoltmeter
monetizability
nanocavity
Newry Canal
non-zero restriction
oil lubricating system
onishi
optic integrated circuit
pellet mouldings
PGS (program generation system)
plesiotrochus acutangulus
prepacked with grease
prevailing price
prunus mume sieb.et zucc.var.tonsa rehd.
prunus mume var.bungo mak.
purplestreak alstroemeria
rag out
residentiaries
reverse pinocytosis
rizzle
ruscombe
sample grid reference
Sandnessjφen
sandy mushrooms
secondary process
sent out
sound intensity decay
sprawlings
statistical weights
strapped multiresonator circuit
subfraction
Suttsu
the top of
tightness of stitches
top-fired boiler
triangulation balloon
unconquering
unfamiliarity
uredo cryptogrammes
Voidable Civil Act