VOA标准英语10月-McCain Seeks to Reverse Momentum in Final Preside

Republican candidate John McCain is hoping to reverse the dynamics¹ of the race for the White House in his final presidential debate with Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Trailing in national polls and in key states, McCain will have another chance to try to win over independent and undecided voters, while Obama is hoping to avoid any costly² mistakes. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Going into the debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. a new national poll by CBS News and the New York Times shows Barack Obama with a commanding 53-39 percent lead over John McCain. Other polls also show Obama ahead by a lesser³ margin⁴. Wednesday night's debate is to focus entirely⁵ on the economy and other domestic issues. The two candidates will be seated at a table with veteran CBS moderator Bob Schieffer.

Political analyst⁶ Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia says McCain faces a tough challenge in trying to stem the steady shift of voters towards Obama over the past couple of weeks.
　

John McCain addresses supporters in Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, 14 Oct 2008

"It's McCain's last opportunity to communicate with tens of millions of voters in an unfiltered way," Sabato said. "He has to do what he can, within the format⁷ of the debate, to add a new element to the election or change the direction of the election. That is asking a great deal under difficult circumstances."

McCain has taken a new approach this week, positioning himself as an underdog in the presidential race fighting for Americans facing tough economic times. He is reaching out to older Americans, with a new economic plan that calls for reducing the tax on early withdrawals⁸ from retirement⁹ accounts and cutting the tax rate on capital gains in half, among other measures. The current economic crisis has hurt McCain, as many voters blame his Republican Party, which has held the presidency¹⁰ for the last eight years.

Melissa Wade¹¹, Executive Director of Debate at Emory University and an expert in debate training, says McCain needs to deliver a more even and steady performance than he did in the first two debates with Obama.

"McCain has appeared to be more erratic¹² and less organized which has turned into a metaphor¹³ for some of the, I think, decisions made in his campaign," Wade said.
　

Barack Obama greets supporters in Maumee Bay Resort in Oregon, Ohio, 14 Oct 2008

Wade says Obama has appeared calm and presidential, and that he is much improved from his early days on the campaign trail during the Democratic primaries.

"At the end of the day he was calm, he was reasonable, he was steady," Wade noted¹⁴. "This is a man who has learned in every date he has been in in the last year-and-a-half. He has gotten better each time. He was very rough when he first started. In every debate encounter he seems to learn something."

McCain has suggested that he may bring up Obama's association with Vietnam War-era radical¹⁵ William Ayers during the debate. His campaign is running a number of TV and radio ads attacking Obama for working on foundations with Ayers. But the latest CBS-New York Times poll suggests that many voters appear to be turned off by McCain's negative attacks. Twenty-one percent of voters say their opinion of McCain has grown worse over the last couple of weeks. Many analysts¹⁶ and debate experts also agree that it is risky¹⁷ for a candidate to launch personal attacks against an opponent in a face-to-face debate format.

1 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

4 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 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。

7 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

8 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

10 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。

11 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

12 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

13 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 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。

16 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。

17 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。