VOA标准英语2008年-VP Candidate Biden Takes Center Stage at Democr

Democratic vice¹ presidential pick Joseph Biden will take center stage on the third day of the party's National Convention in the western U.S. city of Denver. The veteran senator from Delaware will be one of the headline speakers Wednesday night, along with former President Bill Clinton. As VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Denver, Democrats² will turn their attention to foreign policy and national security issues Wednesday.
　
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, speaks to the Delaware Delegation³ breakfast, 27 Aug 2008

Joseph Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee⁴ Barack Obama's choice for running mate, is highly regarded by many lawmakers from both parties for his first-hand foreign policy knowledge and experience.

Ted⁵ Kaufman is a charter member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees⁶ Voice of America and other U.S. international broadcasting agencies. He is a close friend of Joseph Biden, and was his chief of staff in the Senate for 19 years. Kaufman told VOA that Biden brings decades of foreign policy expertise⁷ to the table, but that is not all.

"The biggest thing he brings to the ticket is he is qualified⁸ to be president of the United States," Kaufman noted⁹. "Everybody when they talk about potential vice presidential candidates, they put them in different categories - here is one that can help the ticket by delivering a state, here is one that can help the ticket by delivering an interest group. But they always talk about Joe Biden. He is the one, who, if something happens to Barack Obama, he is qualified. And I think that what is says about Barack Obama, he is not in this thing to win this. He is in this to make America a better place, and a better place in the world."

What tone will Biden speech adopt?

Some analysts¹¹ say the vice presidential candidate needs to take on the role of "attack dog" - to relentlessly¹² go after the opponent from the other party. Larry Sabato, a political analyst¹⁰ and Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, says the tone of this convention so far has been too "warm and fuzzy", and that Democrats need to use their four days in the spotlight¹³ to attack the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and to tie him to President Bush.

"Biden should, and probably will go after John McCain and the Republicans hard. The convention delegates are expecting some red meat and they have gotten very little. So, he may in a sense help to rescue the convention, if he does a good job,' Sabato said. "If he does not, and it's a mild-mannered presentation, I think the delegates will leave very disappointed."

Bill Clinton also scheduled to speak, Wednesday

Also in the spotlight will be former President Bill Clinton, the husband of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who lost the nomination¹⁴ fight in a long, tough race to Obama. Sabato says Bill Clinton has made clear he has not liked the way he believes the Obama campaign has treated his wife.

"Everyone is going to be measuring every word that Clinton says because it is very well known that he has been unhappy with Obama, some have said that he has been pouting," Sabato said. "He and his people have certainly been leaking quite a number of crucial comments from Clinton about Obama. So, his words will be weighed carefully. And, he will come through. He knows he is under the microscope. He will be very enthusiastic - while the cameras are on."

Senator Hillary Clinton issued an emphatic¹⁵ call for unity¹⁶ in the Democratic Party Tuesday night, and gave her disappointed supporters their marching orders to get behind Barack Obama.

"Whether you voted for me, or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team and none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines," said Clinton.

The former first lady also hit John McCain, saying voters cannot let him take the White House, and "squander¹⁷ the promise of our country." Next week, it will be the Republicans turn to go after Democrats at their National Convention in Minnesota.

1 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。

2 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》

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 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。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

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 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 relentlessly   

adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断

参考例句：

• The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head. 非洲的太阳无情地照射在他那发痛的头上。
• He pursued her relentlessly, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. 他锲而不舍地追求她，拒不接受“不”的回答。

13 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

14 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。

15 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

16 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

17 squander   

v.浪费，挥霍

参考例句：

• Don't squander your time in reading those dime novels.不要把你的时间浪费在读那些胡编乱造的廉价小说上。
• Every chance is precious，so don't squander any chance away!每次机会都很宝贵，所以不要将任何一个白白放走。