voa标准英语2008-Obama Calls for Resignation of Illinois Governor

President-elect Barack Obama joined a growing call for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign on Wednesday amid a state corruption¹ scandal that threatens to become a distraction² for Mr. Obama's upcoming inauguration³.
　

President-elect Barack Obama is seen after speaking about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, 9 Dec. 2008

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Governor Blagojevich should step down because it would be difficult for him to effectively do his job under the current circumstances.

Blagojevich faces corruption charges after his arrest on Tuesday for allegedly trying to sell Mr. Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat and swap⁵ other political favors for money.

Among those interested in the Senate seat is Illinois Democratic Congressman⁶ Jesse Jackson, Jr.
　

Jesse Jackson, Jr., 10 Dec 2008

Jackson denied on Wednesday that he did anything improper⁷ in dealings with Governor Blagojevich and said he is not a target in the corruption investigation⁸.

"I reject and denounce 'pay to play' politics and have no involvement whatsoever⁹ in any wrongdoing," he said. "I did not initiate¹⁰ or authorize¹¹ anyone at any time to promise anything to Governor Blagojevich on my behalf."

Federal prosecutors¹² say there is nothing to suggest that President-elect Obama was aware of the governor's efforts to auction¹³ off his Senate seat.

Mr. Obama briefly¹⁴ spoke⁴ with reporters on Tuesday.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of what was happening," he said.

But at the very least, the budding scandal over Mr. Obama's former Senate seat in Illinois threatens to become a political distraction at a time when he is preparing to take the oath of office as the nation's 44th president.

Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan issued a statement requesting that Mr. Obama disclose all contacts that his transition staff may have had with the Illinois governor's office.

Other Republicans, however, were more cautious in their reaction.

"Well, I am going to surprise you and back up President-elect Obama," said Republican Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois. "His connection to this is tenuous¹⁵ at best."

Illinois Republican Ray LaHood is retiring from the House of Representatives this year. LaHood has also called on Governor Blagojevich to resign.

"He should have walked out of the courthouse and resigned," he said. "But the man has no shame. He needs to resign. If he doesn't resign, he needs to be impeached¹⁶. I think only one word describes his behavior - 'greedy.'"

But Congressman LaHood is also concerned that the scandal in Illinois could become a distraction for President-elect Obama as he prepares to deal with a host of problems, especially the weakened U.S. economy.

"Here he has ruined, at least temporarily and tainted¹⁷ temporarily, President-elect Obama's seat as a former senator and his opportunity to really shine on his journey to become the next president," he said.
　

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich at a news conference in Chicago, 5 Nov. 2008

Governor Blagojevich has the power to appoint a successor to Mr. Obama, who resigned his U.S. Senate seat after winning last month's presidential election.

But a number of prominent Illinois politicians now want the state legislature to take that power away from the governor and hold a special election instead.

Blagojevich was back at work on Wednesday. One of his deputies did resign, although no reason was given.

Illinois has a storied history of political corruption. Three former Illinois governors have gone to jail on corruption-related charges in the past 35 years.

Thomas Rudolph, a political expert at the University of Illinois, notes that Blagojevich has been under federal investigation for some time.

"It does not come as a surprise that he has been brought up on corruption charges by the FBI," he said. "Members of his administration have been under investigation for almost three years."

The scandal in Illinois continued to unfold on Wednesday, even as the Obama transition team released a four-day schedule of inauguration activities for the new president.

The highlight will come on January 20 when Mr. Obama is sworn-in as the new president on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building. The traditional Inaugural¹⁸ Parade will follow through the streets of Washington, and several formal Inaugural Balls will be held later in the evening.

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

10 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

11 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

12 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

13 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

14 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

15 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。

16 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。