CNN 2010-01-24

Here's the tally¹. 52-47 for the Republican Scott Brown. Yes, I said the Republican in Massachusetts. Not used to hearing that, but it's not just about Massachusetts.

 

The voters had their say and they chose Scott Brown so what does that really mean? CNN's Jim Acosta live this morning in Boston -- Jim.

 

Good morning, Kyra. Who would have thought that Massachusetts would be described as a bellwether² state? But Democrats³ might hope what happens in Massachusetts stays in Massachusetts.

 

That is not going to be the case for Democrats who are looking at a very tough midterm election year as we're going to see more contests like the one here in Massachusetts coming up over the coming months.

 

And Martha Coakley, it's hard to believe, was up by almost 30 points in this campaign according to some f the local polls here. But slowly but surely over time that lead eroded⁴ over a relatively⁵ unknown state senator here, Scott Brown.

 

He emerged victorious⁶ last night in what was really a thumping⁷ of Martha Coakley. He won by five percentage points. But when you consider the fact that this happened in one of the more liberal states in the country, it was a clear and decisive victory for Scott Brown.

 

And there is a variety of factors. We talked to voters about why Martha Coakley wasn't doing well. Many voters thought she was just really running a lazy campaign, then it turned into a nasty campaign towards the end.

 

And there were some moments during this race where some voters said she just seemed out of touch, most notably⁸ when she referred to a Red Sox legend here, Curt⁹ Schilling, as a Yankees fan. And then last night, true to form, she used a sports metaphor¹⁰ to talk about her loss.

 

I am heartbroken at the result and I know that you are also. But I know that we will get up together tomorrow and continue this fight even with this result tonight because there will be plenty of Wednesday morning quarterbacking about what happened and what went right, what went wrong.

 
 

1 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

2 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

7 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

9 curt   

adj.简短的，草率的

参考例句：

• He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复。
• He rapped out a series of curt commands.他大声发出了一连串简短的命令。

10 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。