VOA慢速英语2012 IN THE NEWS - President Obama Wins Second Term

 

IN THE NEWS - President Obama Wins Second Term

时事新闻 - 奥巴马赢得连任

From VOA Learning English, this is IN THE NEWS in Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语时事新闻报道。

This week, Americans chose Barack Obama for a second and final four-year term as president. President Obama captured more than three hundred electoral votes, defeating former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹ Romney. To win the presidency², a candidate needs at least two hundred seventy electoral votes.

本周，美国人选定奥巴马连任，这也是他作为总统的最后四年任期。奥巴马总统获得了三百多张选举人票，击败了前马萨诸塞州州长米特·罗姆尼。候选人赢得总统选举至少需要获得270张选举人票。

Early Wednesday, Mr. Obama noted³ deep political differences in the country. But he said Americans share certain hopes and dreams. He said they rise or fall together as one nation and one people.

周三早些时候，奥巴马指出美国存在严重的政治分歧。但他表示，美国人拥有共同的希望和梦想，大家作为同一个国家和民族共同进退。

The president won re-election with the same coalition⁴ of voters he had in two thousand eight: women, ethnic⁵ minorities and young people. Historian Allan Lichtman says Mr. Obama profited from these groups this year.

奥巴马依靠和2008年同一群选民赢得连任，他们是妇女、少数族裔和年轻人。历史学家艾伦·里奇曼（Allan Lichtman）表示，奥巴马今年从这些群体中受益。

"Women and minorities put Barack Obama over the top, and there should be a big, huge red-letter warning sign for Republicans that they can't win just with their white Protestant base. We are increasingly becoming a non-white nation."

他说：“妇女和少数族裔把奥巴马推上了总统宝座。这对共和党人来说是一个严重警告，他们无法只依赖白人新教徒赢得选举，美国正日益成为一个非白人国家。”

Alan Lichtman and other observers understand the changes in America’s growing population. When Ronald Reagan was elected president in nineteen eighty, whites made up eighty-five percent of the electorate⁶.

里奇曼和其它观察家认识到美国不断增长的人口的变化。当1980年罗纳德·里根当选总统时，白人占到了选民的85%。

This year, polling information showed that seventy-two percent of all voters were white. Thirteen percent of those voting were African-American – the same percentage as four years ago. The Hispanic vote grew from nine percent in two thousand eight to ten percent this year.

今年，民意调查资料表明，72%的选民是白人。13%的选民是非裔美国人，和4年前相同。拉美裔选票从2008年的9%上升到今年的10%。

Asian-Americans are a fast growing population in the United States. Yet they made up just three percent of the electorate. 

亚裔美国人是美国一个快速增长的群体。然而他们只占到选民的3%。

Of those asked, ninety-three percent of African Americans reported voting for President Obama. Seventy-one percent of Hispanics said they supported him. Studies also found that over seventy percent of Asian Americans voted for Mr. Obama.

在受访者中，93%的非裔美国人投票给奥巴马。71%的拉美裔美国人表示，他们支持奥巴马。调查还发现，超过70%的亚裔美国人投票给奥巴马。

In addition to minorities, both women and young people were more likely to support the president than Mister Romney. Researcher Scott Rasmussen says there is an age difference in American politics. He says people over the age of forty were more likely to support Mister Romney. And, people under forty were more likely to vote for Mister Obama.

除了少数族裔，妇女和年轻人也都更有可能支持奥巴马。研究员斯科特·拉斯穆森（Scott Rasmussen）表示，美国政治中存在年龄差异。他说，40岁以上的人更有可能支持罗姆尼，而40岁以下的人更有可能投票给奥巴马。

The president is facing a number of difficult issues as he prepares for his second term. They include the size of the federal budget deficit⁷. 

奥巴马准备就任第二任期的同时面临着许多棘手问题，其中包括联邦预算赤字规模。

Mr. Obama and Congress will have to bury political differences to solve what is being called “the fiscal⁸ cliff.” In his first official speech since being re-elected, the president said he is calling on congressional leaders for talks at the White House next week. They will discuss how to avoid the required spending cuts and tax increases that would affect all American workers on January first.

奥巴马和国会必须消除政治分歧以解决所谓的“财政悬崖。”在当选连任后的第一次正式讲话中，奥巴马总统表示，他呼吁国会领导人下周到白宫会谈。他们将讨论如何避免1月1日既定的削减开支和增加税收措施，这将影响到所有美国雇员。

“What the American people are looking for is cooperation, their looking for consensus⁹, they’re looking for common sense. Most of all they want action. I intend to deliver for them in my second term. And I expect to find willing partners in both parties. So let’s get to work.”

“美国人民正在寻求合作，寻求共识。他们中的多数人希望有所行动。我打算在第二个任期内给他们带去行动。我期望在两党中都找到有意愿的合作伙伴。让我们着手进行吧。”

In the elections Tuesday, Republicans lost a few seats in the House of Representatives, but not enough to lose their majority. Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party still controls the Senate.

在周二的选举中，共和党失去了众议院的几个席位，但尚未失去多数派地位。奥巴马所在的民主党仍控制参议院。

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？