voa标准英语2008年-India Begins Crucial Round of State Elections

India has begun a crucial round of state elections that are being seen as a test of the popularity of the ruling Congress Party. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the regional polls will set the stage for general elections due next year.
　

General-Secretary of India's Congress Party Rahul Gandhi (c) during election meeting at Dhamtari, state of Chhattisgarh, 12 Nov 2008

Security was tight as voters in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh cast ballots¹ Friday to choose a new state government. Scattered² violence blamed on Maoist rebels marred³ the vote in some areas.

The Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, which rules the state, hopes to retain power. But the Congress Party, which heads the governing national coalition⁴, is putting up a tough fight.

Chattisgarh is the first of six states that will choose new regional governments over the next six weeks. These are Madhya Pradesh, the capital Delhi, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress Party and its main rival, the BJP, are the main contenders in most of the states.

Political analyst⁵, Ajoy Bose, says the elections are being seen as a mini referendum ahead of national polls scheduled to be held by next May.

"These elections are widely seen as semifinals. Because they are on the eve, just a few months away from the parliamentary polls, they are seen as a kind of rehearsal⁶, and they would give an indication of who would win," said Bose.

The elections are being held against a backdrop of rising prices, a slowing economy, and security concerns raised by bomb blasts that have hit several major Indian cities in recent months.

Ajoy Bose says these concerns could hurt the ruling Congress Party.

"There was widespread inflation, prices are nowhere near falling, and there is the wider economic crisis, so there is a general sense of gloom. And then of course there is a huge concern over the law and order situation which has been getting from bad to worse," said Bose.

Some political analysts⁷ say if the Congress Party performs well, it may call early elections.

It will also be easier for the party that is on a winning streak⁸ to cement crucial alliances with regional parties ahead of the general elections. In recent elections, neither the Congress Party nor the BJP has won an outright⁹ majority, and have needed to put together a coalition.

Out of all the state polls, the most closely watched election will be that in Indian Kashmir, which was wracked by anti-India protests led by Muslim separatist leaders in the summer. The separatist leaders have called on voters to boycott¹⁰ the polls, and political observers say turnout may be low. The election will be held over several weeks due to security concerns.

1 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 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。

6 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

7 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。

8 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

9 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

10 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。