VOA慢速英语2020 乔拜登选择参议员哈马斯作为副总统候选人

The American Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden has named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.

美国民主党总统候选人乔·拜恩任命加州参议员卡玛拉·哈里斯为其竞选伙伴。

Biden's choice signals the importance of the Black vote in the upcoming presidential election against President Donald Trump¹.

拜登的选择表明了在即将举行的与川普对台的总统选举中黑人选票的重要性。

Biden wrote on the social media website Twitter: "I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants — as my running mate."

拜登在社交媒体网站推特上写道：“我很荣幸地宣布，我选择哈里斯作为我的竞选搭档，她是一位为小人物而战的无畏战士，也是美国最优秀的公职人员之一。”

Who is Kamala Harris?

哈里斯是谁？

Harris is a 55-year-old first-term senator from the state of California. She was born in Oakland to a Jamaican father and Indian mother.

哈里斯是一名来自加州的55岁的新任参议员。她在奥克兰出生，父亲是牙买加人，母亲是印度人。

Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Francisco's district attorney. As the city's top lawyer, she created programs to help low-level drug offenders² and keep students in school. She was elected California's attorney general in 2010. She was the first woman and Black person to hold that job.

哈里斯于2003年赢得了她的第一次选举，成为了旧金山市的地区检察官。作为该市的最高律师，她创建了一些程序来帮助低水平的毒品罪犯，并使学生留在学校。她于2010年当选为加州司法部长。她是担任该职位的首位女性和黑人。

After being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, she gained attention for her forceful questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings.

在2016年当选美国参议员之后，她因为在国会听证会上对川普政府官员的强力质询而受到关注。

Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 in a crowded race for the Democratic Party nomination³. Her first campaign appearance brought out 20,000 people. But without enough money to run the campaign, Harris withdrew from the race in December 2019, two months before the first votes in the nominating process.

哈里斯于2019年初发起了总统竞选活动，参与角逐激烈的民主党提名。她出席首次竞选活动吸引了两万人参加。但是由于没有足够资金开展竞选活动，哈里斯于2019年12月退出竞选，距离获得提名程序的第一张选票还有两个月时间。

During a primary debate, Harris attacked Biden for his opposition⁴ to busing in the 1970s as schools began to bring Black and white students together.

在一次初选辩论中，哈里斯攻击了上世纪70年代学校开始让黑人和白人学生融合时，拜登反对用校车接送学生的立场。

"There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day," she said. "And that little girl was me."

她说：“加州当时有个小女孩，她参与了融入公立学校的第二课堂，她每天要坐校车去上学。那个小女孩就是我。”

Biden said her comment misrepresented his position. But the two have since returned to a warm relationship.

拜登表示，她的言论歪曲了他的立场。但是两人此后恢复了友好关系。

"Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be," Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.

哈里斯在今年夏初为拜登举行的一场活动上表示：“拜登充满了同情心，他拥有出色的领导才能，我们比以往任何时候都更需要一位了解人民、关注人民，并真诚地希望帮助人民，并知道如何努力让我们达成所愿的这样一位美国总统。”

Why is the vice⁵ president selection important?

为何选择副总统非常重要？

Harris joins Biden in the 2020 presidential campaign as the nation faces many problems.

哈里斯在美国面临诸多问题之际携手拜登角逐2020年总统大选。

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S. COVID-19 linked business closings have hurt the economy. At the same time, protests against racism⁶ and the police after the death of George Floyd have taken place across the country.

新冠病毒大流行已经夺走了16万美国人的性命。新冠肺炎导致的企业关门损害了经济。与此同时在乔治·弗洛伊德死后，美国各地都发生了反种族主义和警察的示威活动。

The choice of vice president also carries increased importance for the Democratic Party this year.

副总统的选择对今年的民主党来说也越来越重要。

If elected, Biden would be 78 years old at the time of taking office in January. He would be the oldest man to ever become president. Biden has not said whether he will seek a second term in 2024. Biden's running mate would then likely become the leading Democratic Party candidate for the presidential nomination that year.

如果当选，拜登在明年1月就职时将年满78岁。他将是有史以来最年长的总统。拜登没有透露他是否会在2024年寻求连任。拜登的竞选伙伴很可能会成为届时获得总统提名的民主党主要候选人。

I'm Caty Weaver⁷.

我是凯蒂·韦孚。

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。