VOA标准英语2008年-Senator Ted Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Br

By Michael Bowman
Washington
20 May 2008

One of America's best-known political figures, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, has been diagnosed with a malignant¹ brain tumor². VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, the diagnosis³ comes days after the 76-year-old Democratic senator suffered a seizure⁴ and was rushed to a hospital in his home state.

Doctors in Massachusetts say they have identified the cause of Senator Kennedy's seizure: a malignant tumor on the left side of his brain that was discovered through a biopsy.

Kennedy, America's second-longest serving senator and the younger brother of President John Kennedy, will undergo further tests to find out more about the tumor and determine a course of treatment. For now, doctors say the senator is alert and in good spirits. Possible treatments for the tumor include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.

Reaction from across the country - and across America's political spectrum⁵ - has been swift. The White House says President Bush is "deeply saddened" by the news and will keep the senator in his prayers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Americans have received word of the diagnosis with "great concern."

"I have confidence, though, because Senator Kennedy has been a fighter all his life," she said. "He is a fighter: a fighter for our children, for our workers, for our seniors. I know that that fighting spirit will hold him in good stead in the challenge that he faces now."

Several of Kennedy's senate colleagues expressed hope and confidence that he would recover fully⁶ and return to his duties in Congress.

Edward Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962 to fill the seat vacated by then-President John Kennedy. He unsuccessfully ran for president in 1980, challenging President Jimmy Carter's nomination⁷ for a second term. Widely regarded as one of America's most left-leaning legislators, Kennedy has been a champion of civil rights and governmental activism on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged in society.

This year, he made headlines as an early endorser⁸ of Democratic presidential aspirant⁹ Barack Obama.

1 malignant   

adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Alexander got a malignant slander.亚历山大受到恶意的诽谤。
• He started to his feet with a malignant glance at Winston.他爬了起来，不高兴地看了温斯顿一眼。

2 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

3 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

4 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 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。

8 endorser   

n.背书人，代言人

参考例句：

• Where the holder is an endorser,he has no right of recourse against the subsequent parties.持票人为背书人的，对其后手无追索权。
• The outcomes revealed that there is positive relationship between endorser's credibility and brand equity's dimensions.结论显示代言人的背景和品牌公平的面向有正面的关

9 aspirant   

n.热望者；adj.渴望的

参考例句：

• Any aspirant to the presidency here must be seriously rich.要想当这儿的主席一定要家财万贯。
• He is among the few aspirants with administrative experience.他是为数不多的几个志向远大而且有管理经验的人之一。