2007年VOA标准英语-French Voters to Elect New President on Sunday

By Simon Marks
Paris
04 May 2007
 

French voters go to the polls on Sunday (May 6th) to elect a new president. They face a stark¹ choice between a conservative, former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Socialist² Party's candidate, Segolene Royal, who is bidding to become the country's first female president. France's sluggish³ economy and the plight⁴ of the country's inner cities have dominated the campaign. Simon Marks reports from Paris.

Nicolas Sarkozy

If the opinion polls are correct, Nicolas Sarkozy is on the verge⁵ of becoming the next president of France. As the candidate of the ruling conservative party, the UMP, he has exuded⁶ confidence at well-attended rallies in the closing stages of the campaign.

And after being accused by his opponents of being too right-wing, too hasty, too temperamental and even too dangerous to govern the country, Sarkozy has told voters that he has been humbled⁷ by his experience on the campaign trail.

"I want to be the candidate of the people, and not that of the media, or the bureaucrats⁸, or of this or that special interest,” he said. “I want to be the candidate of the people because over the last few months I have seen how the people live, how they feel, and what they're suffering."

In the closing days of the election, Sarkozy has presented a softer image of himself to voters than they have seen before.

Two years ago, he was France's interior minister when 10 days of rioting broke out in several cities across the country. French people of immigrant descent protested their living conditions and their lack of opportunities, and the government declared a state of emergency to bring the riots under control.

Today, the suburbs are quiet. But their residents have not forgotten that Sarkozy once described the protesters as "scum".

Mac-West Hot is a French citizen whose parents were born in Cameroon. "He's just never done anything and I think he's a manipulator who is just looking for power.  I think it's all just personal ambition"

So, many inner city voters are expected to turn out in favor of Segolene Royal, the Socialist

Party's candidate. Sarkozy has branded her a 1960s-style leftist radical⁹. In her quest to become

France's first female president, she portrays¹⁰ herself differently. "In the France that I dream of, there is a place for everyone.  No one will be excluded," she said. 

Segolene Royal

Royal's message has focused on the economy. She is pledging to increase the minimum wage, raise the state pension and modernize¹¹ France while looking after people along the way. The Sarkozy campaign promises to bring about full employment in France by helping¹² people pull themselves out of poverty -- no mean task in a country where the unemployment rate has not dipped below eight percent for 25 years.

Christine Ockrent is one of France's leading political commentators¹³, and she will be anchoring election night coverage¹⁴ on French television.

"The French want to think that they are really craving¹⁵ for change, but at the same time they fear change.  Just like anybody else.  And this is a country where people – it's very strange – people are quite satisfied with their own lives, but they're terribly pessimistic about the future," she said.

Both candidates are competing for the crucial centrist votes that could swing the election. And both are vowing¹⁶ to change France, and better position it to play a leading role in a globalized world. But only one of them will get the chance to do so, after the votes are counted here on Sunday night.

1 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

2 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

3 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

5 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

6 exuded   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• Nearby was a factory which exuded a pungent smell. 旁边是一家散发出刺鼻气味的工厂。 来自辞典例句
• The old drawer exuded a smell of camphor. 陈年抽屉放出樟脑气味。 来自辞典例句

7 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

8 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

15 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

16 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。