VOA常速英语2008年-Republican Presidential Hopeful McCain Denies I

By VOA News
21 February 2008
 

U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain has denied having an inappropriate relationship with a female telecommunications lobbyist.

The Arizona senator told reporters Thursday that he and lobbyist Vicki Iseman were just friends. He says a report in The New York Times is not true, adding that he is very disappointed by the article.

The newspaper quoted unnamed aides as saying that they urged McCain and Iseman to stay away from each during his election campaign in 2000. McCain says he was never aware of any such conversation.

The newspaper notes Iseman represented telecommunications companies who had business before the Senate Commerce Committee, which McCain led at the time.

In other news, New York Senator Hillary Clinton lashed¹ out at her main Democratic rival, Barack Obama, expressing doubt that he is ready to lead the United States. She spoke² Wednesday, a day after losing two more presidential nominating contests to Obama.

Also, Senator Obama has won the Democrats³ Abroad global primary, giving him 11 delegate votes for the Democratic National Convention.

The latest win gives Obama 11 straight victories in nominating contests. He is ahead of Clinton in the number of delegates.

1 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》