时间:2018-11-30 作者:英语课 分类:美语三级跳


英语课

 


023C 移民入籍: 高级课程


Professor: Amir just became an American citizen, and this year he is voting in his first American election. Today he is having breakfast with his wife, Sharon, and they're talking about the upcoming election.


Amir: So honey, who do you think you're going to vote for in the election? I really like both the Republican and Democratic candidates, but I can't decide who to vote for.


Sharon: You like both of them? I think they're both terrible. For me the question isn't who I like the most, but who I dislike the least!


Amir: Well, I guess that's an interesting way to look at it. To be honest I don't care if Virginia is a blue state or a red state. I just want a moderate candidate who will do a good job.


Sharon: Yeah, you're right. The only thing I care about is that whoever wins isn't too partisan 2.


看来Amir和Sharon都是moderate voters - 温和的选民。不过我不明白,Amir说,他不在乎Virginia州变成blue state or red state,这是什么意思呢?


Professor: In America, the color red represents the Republican Party, and the color blue represents the Democratic Party.


哦,红色代表共和党,蓝色代表民主党。所以,Amir意思是,他不在乎州长是由共和党人来作,还是民主党人来作,最好是个温和派、干实事儿的人。


Professor: Right! And Sharon says she doesn't want a candidate who is too partisan. Someone is partisan if he refuses to compromise with the other side.


哦, partisan 就是“党派性的”


Amir: Well what do you think the results are going to be? Virginia used to always be a landslide 3 for the Republicans, but these days it's a tossup.


Sharon: You're right, it's pretty hard to say. But since the incumbent 4 is a Republican, I'd have to give him a slight advantage.


Amir: Yeah, incumbents 5 always have an easier time with fundraising, and everybody already knows them because they've been in office for a while.


Sharon: Yeah, but judging by what a bad job he's done, I don't think that name recognition is going to help him!


看来这次选举竞争很激烈。现在选举结果是tossup - 就像扔硬币一样,胜选机会是一半一半,哪个候选人都不会有landslide - 压倒性胜利。


Professor: Exactly. But one candidate has an advantage, right?


对,那就是the incumbent - 现在在任的州长。Amir说,他在fundraising - 筹款,和name recognition - 知名度方面,都有优势。


Professor: That's true, but name recognition isn't always a good thing, right?


对,知名度不一定都是好事,因为不知道是好名还是骂名!


Amir: A lot of analysts 6 are saying that the election is going to be decided 7 by turnout. The more people vote, the more it's likely to benefit the Democrat 1.


Sharon: (Sigh) .... Amir, can we stop talking about politics? I just want to eat my breakfast in peace.


Amir: But Sharon, this is my first time voting in an American election. Can't you understand how excited I am?


Sharon: Look, if you're really into the election, why don't you listen to the pundits 8 talk about it?


Amir: Come on Sharon, how can you think about eating breakfast at a time like this? This election is going to decide the future of our country!


Sharon: Amir, if you don't stop talking about politics, it's going to decide the future of your marriage!


professor, 什么叫"turnout"?


Professor: Turnout is the number of people who actually go out and vote on election day. In the US, turnout is usually about 50 percent across the country.


哦, turnout就是投票人数。 那么,什么叫pundits呢?


Professor: Pundits are professional commentators 9. They are famous people who spend all their time talking about their views on current events.


哦,就是那些专门在电视广播里对时事发表看法的评论家! 这么说,我同意Sharon的观点。现在,只要一开电视,到处都是pundits,已经够烦人了,谁还想自己家里的老公也每天大谈政治呢?


 


这次的美语三级跳就播送到这里。



1 democrat
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员
  • The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
  • About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后,他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。
2 partisan
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒
  • In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中,他们忘掉一切党派之争。
  • The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。
3 landslide
n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票;一面倒的胜利
  • Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
  • An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。
4 incumbent
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的
  • He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
  • It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。
5 incumbents
教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 ); 教会中的任职者
  • In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
  • This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。
6 analysts
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
7 decided
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
8 pundits
n.某一学科的权威,专家( pundit的名词复数 )
  • The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题,专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
  • That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网
9 commentators
n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 );时事评论员;注释者;实况广播员
  • Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语,真叫人腻烦。
  • Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话,令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
学英语单词
a prejudice against
aleurites moluccana
aniline hydrochioride
ant-lion
approximative system
balanced welding
bedwyr
benefit-cost ratio (b-c ratio)
berenty
bottom fourth jewel
bunyas bunyas
carry clear signal
cassiterolamprite
Cercis chinensis
certified helitanker
chain reacting sphere
China Ocean Shipping agency
chocolate fondue
chokees
chucks
collector-emitter cut-off current
control hazard
creative thinkers
dead colour
diamond polishing
dim head light
dishdashas
displaced card
dual phenomenon
ELISA
ends-of-file
Epipaleolithic
exchange resonance
expandibility
eyebrowed
foreign exchange receipts
haematopoieses
heirophant
heterogone
homemade computer
hoodooism
i-sesed
immaterial want
incident space
Incoloy
infaunas
inferior rectus muscle
iqab
keyed access method
lamma island
lead magnesio-niobate
lichen planus hypertrophicus
light circuits
local object
long term annealing
magnesium sheet
mahmudi
Marshall Archipelago
milk-sops
model set
moto-bug
municipal water use
negative mass effect
neutraphylline
no-annual-fee
Oioxone
okehampton
out of home
pericentrally
Persian deity
phasphorus-containing polymer
pileipellis
polyisomerism
port traffic facilities
pptv
pressurized boiler
primary vascular bundle (strand)
prime age
pythium paddicum hirane
rabbit hutch
radar-confusion reflectors
RB (reactor building)
rechloridation
rhegmatogenous
risotteria
semen chaulmoograe
Sheguiandah
shock proof
short-circuited feeder
SMHs
sounding box
species barrier
spectral line interference
spooneristic
suspension of flying
Svecha
taxonomic description
topaze
UA
walking-wounded
wet batch method
wood laurel