2007年VOA标准英语-Gore's Oscar Win Prompts New Political Speculat

By Jim Malone
Washington
27 February 2007

One of the big winners at this year's Academy Awards in Hollywood was former Vice¹ President Al Gore². Gore was featured in a film about global warming called "An Inconvenient³ Truth," which won the Oscar for best documentary. Now some Democrats⁵ are wondering if Gore should seize the public spotlight⁶ in the wake of his Oscar win and enter the race for president in 2008. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.

In a show more known for Hollywood glitz, Al Gore appeared at the microphone in the middle of the Academy Awards to make what appeared to be an important political announcement.

 
Former Vice President Al Gore and actor Leonardo DiCaprio discuss the Oscars "going green," 25 Feb. 2007
"Even though I honestly had not planned on doing this, I guess with a billion people watching, it is as good a time as any. So, my fellow Americans, I am going to take this opportunity right here and now to formally announce…" he joked.

Gore did not announce he was running for president, and the audience enjoyed the joke from a man who has been criticized in the past for being too serious and wooden on the campaign trail.

But some Democrats who are urging Gore to run for president wish he would seize the public attention from his Oscar win to join the Democratic field for the White House next year.

Former President Jimmy Carter told ABC television that Al Gore is his favorite Democrat⁴ and that he has been urging Gore to run for months.

"I think he should," Carter said. "His burning issue now is global warming and preventing it. He can do infinitely⁷ more to accomplish that goal as the incumbent⁸ in the White House than he can even making movies that get Oscars. So I would hope he would, but I don't think he will."

 
Former Vice President Al Gore and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature Davis Guggenheim at the 79th Annual Academy Awards, 25 Feb. 2007
Gore indicates he is not running, but analysts¹⁰ note he has not completely closed the door to a presidential bid in 2008.

Gore was asked about his political plans in an interview with ABC shortly after the Oscar broadcast.

"I was happy to go along with their humor on that," he said. "I do not have plans to run for president again, but I am involved in a campaign of a different kind, to try to convince people in this country and around the world to feel the urgency of the climate crisis."

Many political experts find the prospect¹¹ of a Gore candidacy intriguing¹² but unrealistic.

"I think it is unlikely," said Stuart Rothenberg, who publishes an independent political newsletter in Washington. "It is not that he does not want to be president or be the Democratic nominee¹³. I think he does not want to work for it. He does not want to spend the next year campaigning for the nomination¹⁴. In a different period, it would be handed to him on silver platter. But there are a bunch of candidates out there who are working very hard for the nomination and I think you have to go for it if you expect to get it."

Part of the problem for Gore if he wanted to jump into the race is that the 2008 presidential election cycle seems to be heating up far earlier than expected.

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former Senator John Edwards, along with several other Democrats, are already campaigning hard for the nomination and raising millions of dollars, 11 months before the first votes will be cast.

Republican presidential contenders have also been active early, in large part because neither President Bush nor Vice President Cheney are running next year.

University of Virginia analyst⁹ Larry Sabato says this lack of an heir apparent for the White House is a prime reason for the extra early start to the campaign.

"It is a free for all," he said." It is the first election since 1928 with no incumbent president or vice president running in either party. And as a result, it is an open race on both sides and we are going to see large fields."

Public opinion polls show Gore would trail Senators Clinton and Obama if he got into the race now. But analysts say Gore might draw support from Democratic activists¹⁵ because of his early opposition¹⁶ to the war in Iraq and because of his narrow election loss to George Bush in 2000 when he won the popular vote but lost the state by state electoral vote count that determines who wins the presidency¹⁷.

1 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。

2 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

3 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

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 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

7 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

8 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 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。

12 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

14 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。

15 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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。

17 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。