VOA标准英语2008年-Republicans To Resume Planned National Conventi

Republican officials say their party's national convention is back on track with a full schedule Tuesday, after Monday's planned activities were curtailed¹ due to Hurricane Gustav and fears of its impact on the US Gulf² Coast. From St. Paul, Minnesota, which is hosting the four-day Republican gathering³, VOA's Michael Bowman reports.

The storm was not as severe as feared, and with Gulf Coast evacuees⁴ already eager to return to their homes, Republican officials have announced a resumption of normal convention activities. The day's highlights include a remote satellite address by President Bush. Also scheduled to speak are independent Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, whom presumptive presidential nominee⁵ John McCain had reportedly considered as a potential running mate, and former Republican presidential hopeful and actor Fred Thompson.

In a conference call with reporters, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said convention speakers will address the senator's biography and character, focusing on his history of service and sacrifice to the nation, and his reputation as a political maverick⁷. Davis said one segment will feature a testimonial of McCain's years spent as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

"Orson Swindell, one of John McCain's trail mates, if you want to call it that, in a POW camp during the Vietnam War," he said. "He will recognize certain people in the audience who also sustained great valor⁸ under difficult circumstances [other prisoners of war]."

The evening will also pay tribute to precautions taken ahead of Hurricane Gustav, and urge continued efforts to help the Gulf Coast recover from the storm. Delegates are being encouraged to help put together 80,000 care packages for those affected⁹ by the hurricane.
　
Cindy McCain (l) and Laura Bush at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, 01 Sep 2008

Monday, the convention was stripped of all major partisan¹⁰ speeches. First Lady Laura Bush and Senator McCain's wife, Cindy, gave brief remarks, focused on relief efforts for the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The convention concludes Thursday, when McCain is expected to give his speech accepting the Republican Party's presidential nomination¹¹. On Wednesday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's choice for the vice⁶ presidential slot, is tentatively scheduled to speak. She was relatively¹² unknown before McCain announced just last week that he had chosen her as his running mate.

On Monday, Palin announced that her 17-year-old daughter, who is unmarried, is pregnant. Palin, a social conservative and opponent of abortion¹³, issued a statement saying she is proud of her daughter, who will marry the father of the baby.

Delegates to the convention seemed unfazed by the change in program on Monday, and embraced the Republican Party's call to focus their attention on helping¹⁴ to secure aid for those affected by the hurricane. The McCain campaign reports a spike¹⁵ in fundraising in recent days, suggesting enthusiasm for the convention and the choice of Palin as his running mate.

 

1 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 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。

4 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 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。

7 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

8 valor   

n.勇气，英勇

参考例句：

• Fortitude is distinct from valor.坚韧不拔有别于勇猛。
• Frequently banality is the better parts of valor.老生常谈往往比大胆打破常规更为人称道。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

11 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。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。