VOA常速英语2007年-US Presidential Contenders Enlist Celebrity Sup

By Jim Malone
Washington
10 December 2007

The pace of the U.S. presidential campaign is intensifying¹ with only three weeks to go until the first test, the Iowa presidential caucuses² on January 3. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the 2008 election campaign from Washington.

In the final weeks before the Iowa party caucuses, the presidential contenders are pulling out all the stops in an effort to sway voters.

Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois drew large crowds in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, thanks to some help from popular television talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

"I am sick of politics as usual," she said. "It is the reason why, over the years, you have not seen many politicians on my show, because I have only got one hour."

Obama is in a tight battle in Iowa with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. Clinton leads the Democratic field in national polls, but has seen her once formidable advantage slip in recent weeks in both Iowa and in New Hampshire. New Hampshire hosts the first presidential primary five days after the Iowa caucuses on January 8.

Clinton has gotten some campaign help from celebrities³ as well, especially her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who remains⁴ very popular with Democrats⁵.

But Hillary Clinton says in the end, the voters will decide among the candidates, and not the celebrities who endorse⁶ them.

"Everybody wants to have his or her supporters speak out and try to persuade voters to support whoever their candidate is," she said. "But at the end of the day, it is a choice among those of us who are running."

The battle for the Republican Party's presidential nomination⁷ appears even more unpredictable at this stage.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee continues to surge in Iowa and in another early contest state, South Carolina.

Huckabee talked about his approach to foreign policy on Fox News Sunday.

"To act in such a way that people respect us and that people also realize that we are a great nation, not one that wants to push ourselves on others." he said.

Huckabee's rise may be coming at the expense of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He continues to lead among Republicans in most national polls, but trails behind in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Giuliani continues to emphasize a tough approach to terrorism and vows⁸ to take a hard line against the prospect⁹ of Iran developing a nuclear weapons capability¹⁰ if elected. He was interviewed on NBC's Meet The Press program.

"Of course we do not want to use the military option," he said. "It would be dangerous. It would be risky¹¹. But I think it would be more dangerous and more risky if Iran did become a nuclear power."

The January 3 vote in Iowa begins a compressed month of caucuses and primaries that will climax¹² on February 5, when more than 20 states will vote for their presidential preferences in both parties.

The nominees¹³ for both major parties will be confirmed at party conventions later in the year.

1 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

2 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

3 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 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》

6 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

7 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。

8 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

9 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

10 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

12 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

13 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网