VOA常速英语2008年-Clinton Holds Lead Over Obama in Pennsylvania A

By Jim Malone
Washington
02 April 2008

A new public opinion poll shows Democrat¹ Hillary Clinton's lead over rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania is down slightly as both contenders campaign in advance of the primary there on April 22.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the U.S. election campaign from Washington.

The new survey by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut shows Clinton with a nine-point lead over Obama in Pennsylvania.  That is down from a 12-point Clinton lead two weeks ago.

Clinton needs a victory in Pennsylvania to keep alive her hope of winning the Democratic nomination².

Both Democratic candidates are targeting more than 800,000 union members in Pennsylvania who are part of a critical voting bloc³ of working class voters.

Obama is warning against new trade deals that might hurt American workers while Clinton has proposed spending billions of dollars on tax incentives⁴ and investments to help companies create new jobs.

Clinton continues to insist she is in the race to stay despite Obama's lead in the delegate count.  During a campaign appearance in Philadelphia, Clinton compared herself to the fictional⁵ boxing hero of the film, Rocky.

"It is so important that the people of Pennsylvania have their voices heard and their votes counted," she said.  "Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing the fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common.  I never quit, I never give up, and I know we are going to make it together.  We are going to climb that mountain for a better day for America."

While the latest Quinnipiac poll showed Clinton's lead being trimmed in Pennsylvania, the survey also seemed to buttress⁶ her argument that she would be the stronger Democrat in the general election campaign against the presumed Republican candidate, Senator John McCain.

Pollster Peter Brown tells VOA that Clinton runs stronger against McCain than Obama does in three key states.

"What is clear here is that, at least for now, Senator Clinton's argument that she is the better general election candidate appears to have some validity," he said.  "We poll Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio, because no one has won the White House since 1960 without winning two of those three.  She runs much better that Senator Obama does against Senator McCain in each of those states."

Obama picked up two potentially helpful endorsements⁷ Wednesday.  Former Indiana Congressman⁸ Lee Hamilton, an experienced Democratic voice on foreign policy, threw his support to Obama, as did the governor of the western state of Wyoming, Dave Freudenthal.

Obama also said he would consider putting former Vice⁹ President Al Gore¹⁰ in a cabinet-level position or even higher if he is elected.  Obama said he talks to Gore on a regular basis about a range of issues including Gore's priority cause, global climate change.

During a question and answer session at a campaign event near Philadelphia, Obama also emphasized his differences over the war in Iraq with Senator McCain.

"The key to solving Iraq is political, not military, and that is why we have to send a clear signal to the Iraqi leadership that we are not going to be there maintaining permanent occupations," he said.  "John McCain has suggested we should.  That is a wrong approach, because it allows them just to continue to act irresponsibly."

For his part, McCain spoke¹¹ at the U.S. Naval¹² Academy in Maryland, recalling his days as a midshipman before embarking¹³ on a military career that included being held as a prisoner of war for five and one-half years in Vietnam.

McCain also told reporters that he has begun gathering¹⁴ a list of names of possible vice presidential running mates and that he hopes to announce his choice before the Republican nominating convention in early September.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

6 buttress   

n.支撑物；v.支持

参考例句：

• I don't think they have any buttress behind them.我认为他们背后没有什么支持力量。
• It was decided to buttress the crumbling walls.人们决定建造扶壁以支撑崩塌中的墙。

7 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

11 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。

12 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

13 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。