VOA标准英语2009年-Obama to Make History as 44th US President

Barack Obama will make history on January 20 when he is inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States and becomes the first African-American to hold the job.
　

President-elect Barack Obama speaks to reporters in Washington, 12 Jan 2009

In the wake of his election victory in November, Mr. Obama promised to follow through on a campaign pledge he made when he began his presidential quest nearly two years ago.

"It has been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America," he said.

But the president-elect has also made it clear that his first priority will be a massive government spending plan designed to jolt¹ the weak U.S. economy back to life.

"A world that depends on the strength of our economy is now watching and waiting for America to lead once more," added Mr. Obama. "And that is what we will do."

Mr. Obama comes into office at a time when the country faces great challenges at home and abroad.

The president-elect is expected to use his Inaugural² Address to reassure³ Americans about the country's economic future, much as President Franklin Roosevelt did during his first inaugural in 1933 in the Great Depression.

"So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," said Roosevelt.

Given his already legendary⁴ oratorical⁵ skills, Obama supporters also expect the president-elect to be inspirational in his Inaugural Address, perhaps along the lines of President John Kennedy's famous call to public service at his inaugural in 1961.

"And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country," said Mr. Kennedy.

Presidential inaugurations⁷ have long been seen by the public as one of the enduring symbols of American democracy.

"We do not have that many rituals in American politics. And the inauguration⁶ ritual is very important because it marks the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another, and in this case from one party to another," said Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at the American University in Washington.

Past presidential inaugurals⁸ have often been seen as markers of change and political shifts in the United States.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan used his Inaugural Address to underscore his basic philosophy of relying less on the government and more on private enterprise and the power of individuals.

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem," said Mr. Reagan.

Like President Reagan, Mr. Obama faces the daunting⁹ task of turning around the U.S. economy as his number-one priority.

Brookings Institution scholar Stephen Hess says that while Mr. Obama does face great challenges, solving those problems also presents the new president with opportunities.

"He has this most remarkable¹⁰ agenda and that in itself is the opportunity for greatness. You look at the history of the United States, and when we talk about great presidents, think back in retrospect¹¹, they were all great presidents at very important moments," he said.

Mr. Obama is already headed for the history books because of his status as the first African-American president.

Allan Lichtman says that fact will not be forgotten in the celebrations surrounding his inauguration.

"The White House itself was built by slaves, and now we have an African-American in office far earlier than most experts would have expected. Barack Obama is a true phenomenon in American politics," he said. "And he seems to have transcended¹² race. He campaigned as the candidate of all Americans, not the candidate of black America."

The impact of Mr. Obama's inauguration will also extend far beyond the borders of the United States.

Expert Stephen Hess says the unprecedented¹³ international interest in this year's presidential campaign should continue into the early months of Mr. Obama's presidency¹⁴.

"And he has the roots in the Pacific, not only in our Hawaii, but in Indonesia. He has got the African roots with his father," said Hess. "All of the world feels they have some connection to this new president of the United States.

Mr. Obama begins his presidency with a measure of public good will. Recent polls show public approval for his handling of the presidential transition and suggest that many Americans, at least early on, have confidence in his ability to lead and unify¹⁵ the country.

1 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

2 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

3 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

5 oratorical   

adj.演说的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The award for the oratorical contest was made by a jury of nine professors. 演讲比赛的裁决由九位教授组成的评判委员会作出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His oratorical efforts evoked no response in his audience. 他的雄辩在听众中不起反响。 来自辞典例句

6 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

7 inaugurations   

n.就职( inauguration的名词复数 )；就职典礼；开始；开创

参考例句：

8 inaugurals   

n.就职典礼（inaugural的复数形式）

参考例句：

9 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

10 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

11 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

12 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

13 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

14 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

15 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。