voa标准英语2008-Obama: No Contacts With Disgraced Governor

President-elect Barack Obama says he did not discuss his vacant Senate seat with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested earlier this week on corruption¹ charges. The scandal has become a distraction² for Mr. Obama as he prepares to become the nation's 44th president next month.
　

President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago, 11 Dec 2008

The president-elect appeared at a news conference in Chicago to announce some key health-care appointments Thursday.

But Mr. Obama quickly addressed the corruption scandal that has engulfed³ Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested on Monday on charges of trying to sell Mr. Obama's now vacant Senate seat.

Mr. Obama said he was as appalled⁴ and disappointed as anyone by the revelations released by federal prosecutors⁵ in the Blagojevich case.

"I had no contact with the governor's office," said President-elect Obama. "I did not speak to the governor about these issues. That I know for certain."

Mr. Obama went on to say that he was confident that no members of his transition staff had any involvement in the governor's alleged⁶ scheme to sell his former Senate seat to the highest bidder⁷.

"What I want to do is to gather all the facts about any staff contacts that may have taken place between the transition office and the governor's office and we will have those in the next few days and we will present them," Mr. Obama said. "But what I am absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any deal making around my Senate seat. That I am absolutely certain of."

Mr. Obama said he believes that Governor Blagojevich can no longer effectively serve the people of Illinois and that he should resign.

The president-elect said his former Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade, it belongs to the people of Illinois, and they deserve the best possible representation.
　

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (2007 file photo)

Meanwhile, pressure continues to build on Blagojevich to resign.

Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan says she is prepared to ask the state Supreme⁸ Court to declare Blagojevich unfit to serve.

Illinois Lieutenant-Governor Pat Quinn told NBC's Today show that Blagojevich should resign and that a special election should be held to choose a new senator.

"I have not spoke⁹ to the governor since the summer of 2007," said Quinn. "I led an effort to try and put recall on the ballot¹⁰ as a constitutional amendment¹¹ in Illinois. It has widespread support. And I really think that the governor needs to resign and step aside right now, and I think that will happen."

The Blagojevich scandal also drew comment at the White House from presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"The president believes that it is a very serious situation and the charges are astounding¹², but that because it is in the middle of an investigation¹³ that the U.S. attorney is conducting, we will not have further comment," she said. "The scandal over naming a successor to Mr. Obama to the Senate has drawn¹⁴ attention away from the president-elect's efforts to focus on the economy and assemble his incoming administration.

Mr. Obama announced that former Senator Tom Daschle is his choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle is expected to lead the incoming administration's effort to reform the U.S. health care system.

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 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 bidder   

n.(拍卖时的)出价人，报价人，投标人

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder.电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。
• The bidder withdrew his bid after submission of his bid.投标者在投标之后撤销了投标书。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 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。

10 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

11 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

12 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。