VOA常速英语2008年-Hillary Clinton Faces Crucial Test in Pennsylva

By Jim Malone
Washington
18 April 2008

Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton faces a crucial test in Tuesday's presidential primary in Pennsylvania. Clinton is counting on a convincing win over rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania to keep alive her hopes of winning the White House in November. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Clinton continues to lead in public opinion polls in Pennsylvania, but her margin¹ over Obama has dwindled² in recent weeks to single digits³.

Obama was on the defensive⁴ during much of the debate they had Wednesday in Philadelphia, and Clinton is hoping to attract undecided voters who may have fresh doubts about Obama's electability.

Obama criticized the debate moderators for stirring up controversy⁵ instead of focusing on issues important to voters.

"I took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people," he said.

Clinton was asked some tough questions at the debate as well. But she told a local television station in Philadelphia that she believes it is all part of the process of running for president.

"Being asked tough questions in a debate is nothing like the pressures you face inside the White House," she said. "And in fact, when the going gets tough, you cannot walk away because we are going to have some very tough decisions that we have to make, and I think we need a president who can take whatever comes your way."

A new Associated Press-Yahoo poll suggests the long and contentious⁶ Democratic primary battle may be taking a toll⁷ on both candidates.

The survey shows Democrats⁸ nationwide now believe Obama would be the stronger candidate against Republican John McCain in the November election, a shift from January when Clinton was the preferred choice.

But the poll also noted⁹ an increase in the number of voters who rate Obama as inexperienced, unethical and dishonest. Clinton fared worse, however, when rated on her likeability, honesty and ethics¹⁰.

Obama continues to lead in the delegate count, and political expert Stuart Rothenberg says Clinton must stay on the attack to convince uncommitted Democratic convention delegates that she remains¹¹ a viable¹² alternative.

"She has no other option. If she does not attack, then the status quo race just continues, and that is with Obama ahead," he said. "And if she attacks, she risks a backlash, but at least there is a potential there for shaking up the race."

Some Democrats worry that the real beneficiary of the prolonged and increasingly bitter Democratic in-fighting may be the presumed Republican presidential nominee¹³, Senator John McCain.

A recent Associated Press poll found McCain has closed the gap with both Obama and Clinton in head to head election match-ups, erasing¹⁴ what had been a strong Democratic advantage.

1 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

2 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 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》

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

13 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

14 erasing   

v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
• Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句