2006年VOA标准英语-New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Wins Re-electi

By Greg Flakus
Houston
21 May 2006
 

Mayor Ray Nagin speaks to his supporters at his victory party in New Orleans, May 20, 2006  
  
Appearing before cheering supporters, Mayor Ray Nagin thanked them and then called for everyone in the city to come together in harmony. He said the time had come to start the healing process.

He also spoke¹ optimistically about efforts to bring the city back from the devastation² caused by Hurricane Katrina eight months ago, using federal funds and a recovery program he defended throughout his campaign.

"We now have $3 billion for levees, we have $8 billion for incentives³, we have $10 billion for housing. New Orleans, delivering on your promise," he said.

Nagin's opponent, Louisiana Lieutenant⁴ Governor Mitch Landrieu, also called for citizens of New Orleans to come together and help the mayor move forward with his recovery plan.

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu with his wife Cheryl as they arrive at his campaign night headquarters, May 20, 2006  
  
"We, as a people, have got to come together so that we can speak with one voice and one purpose, and I am asking you to join with me in supporting Mayor Nagin and his administration and the people of this city to get this city back again," he said.

The two men met in this runoff election after a contest in April, in which there were two dozen candidates, failed to produce a majority winner. In almost daily joint⁵ appearances and debates over the past few weeks, Nagin and Landrieu displayed a respectful, friendly manner with each other.

Landrieu argued that new leadership was needed to move the recovery forward, while Nagin insisted that his plan was working and that changing leaders at this time would not be a good idea.

Race played a role in the election. Nagin is black and Landrieu is white. Many black voters said they wanted to maintain a black in the mayor's office, while some white voters expressed dissatisfaction with Nagin's post-Katrina performance and remarks he made earlier this year about keeping New Orleans a "chocolate city." Many whites interpreted this to mean he would be working exclusively for blacks and not concerned with issues of importance to the white community.

But early examination of voting results shows that Nagin did win votes in some largely white areas of the city, while winning large margins⁶ among blacks. Many black people from New Orleans were displaced by flooding following Hurricane Katrina and remain in temporary homes around the country. New Orleans currently has less than half the population it had before Katrina.

Mayor Nagin will be formally sworn in for his new term on May 31, the day before the new hurricane season officially begins. The U.S. Army Corps⁷ of Engineers recently announced that all its work on the New Orleans levee system will not be complete by June 1, as previously⁸ promised. New Orleans could face further damage and disruption of recovery efforts if another storm were to hit anywhere near the city in the months ahead.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。