VOA常速英语2008年-Clinton, Obama Battle for Votes Ahead of Pennsy

By Paula Wolfson
Pittsburgh
22 April 2008

In U.S. politics, all eyes are on Pennsylvania as that eastern state holds a crucial primary election. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from Pittsburgh that on the eve of the primary, the two candidates for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination¹ were campaigning virtually non-stop.

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton spent election eve going back and forth² across the state - from Philadelphia in the east, to Pittsburgh in the west.

They have been at it now for six weeks - spending time and money in a state many thought would have little say in the selection process.

Four months after the first votes were cast in the snows of New Hampshire, the candidates are spending springtime in Pennsylvania.

The race is close and increasingly nasty. And on election eve, neither candidate was about to leave anything to chance.

Obama, speaking near Philadelphia, took aim as his opponent. "Senator Clinton has internalized a lot of the strategies, the tactics that have made Washington such a miserable³ place," he said.

A final pre-election day poll gives Senator Clinton a seven-point lead. Clinton, who once had a double digit⁴ advantage in the state, unleashed⁵ a series of new ads in the final hours of the Pennsylvania campaign.

At an event in a Pittsburgh city square, she rallied the faithful and reached out to the few undecided voters left in the state, "I am asking you to go tomorrow and vote for me for the toughest job in the world. It is. It is the toughest job in the world and you have to be ready for anything: two wars, skyrocketing oil prices, an economy in crisis. Well, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen," she said.

No matter who they support, it is clear Pennsylvania voters are energized⁶. "This country alone, Allegheny Country, the Pittsburgh region, just this county has 25,000 new registered Democrats," said Dan Onorato, the top elected official in Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh.

In Philadelphia, Obama is strong. But many Pittsburgh voters say they live in Clinton country. And when she came to town, they gathered for a midday rally.

Some wore buttons, some carried signs - including one man who held up a banner saying "real men vote Hillary."

 

These were sentiments expressed by some voters. "She has enough experience and she is tough enough." "I think she is not afraid to speak out." "I think she is going to win Pennsylvania. It's crunch⁷ time and I hope it is an enormous win."

Women and the elderly form Hillary Clinton's base of support here. Barack Obama is doing exceptionally well on college campuses, where he has captured the imagination of the young. His last stop before the election: an arena⁸ at the University of Pittsburgh, where the line for admission was already winding⁹ around the block hours before the doors were to open.

1 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。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

4 digit   

n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾

参考例句：

• Her telephone number differs from mine by one digit.她的电话号码和我的只差一个数字。
• Many animals have five digits.许多动物有5趾。

5 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

7 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

8 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

9 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。