VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Makes Final Pitch For Chicago to Hos

By Tom Rivers
London
02 October 2009

Video: Obama Olympic Bid
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In an impassioned final pitch to members of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, President Barack Obama made the case Friday for the mid-Western U.S. city of Chicago to host the 2016 summer games.

 
US President Barack Obama is introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama before presentation in Copenhagen, 02 Oct 2009
With just a handful of key votes hanging in the balance, President Obama flew in to Copenhagen overnight to make a final push for the town he has called his home for 25 years. He underlined Chicago's history, its people and its strength through diversity.

"There is nothing I would like more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls and welcome the world back into our neighborhood," President Obama said. "At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more, to ignite the possibility of spirit of possibility at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movement."

On hand with him was First Lady Michelle, who grew up in a working class neighborhood on Chicago's south side. She recalled her father who, stricken with multiple sclerosis, instilled¹ the values that have guided her through life, including lessons learned from the world of sports.

"If he could have seen the Paralympic games share a global stage, with the Olympic games, if he could have witnessed athletes who compete and excel and prove that nothing is more powerful than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the same sense of unbridled possibility that he instilled in me," Mrs. Obama said. "Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralymic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the games. It is about what the games can offer all of us. It is about inspiring this generation and building a lasting² legacy³ for the next."

In summing up the bid, President Obama said Chicago would be a proud host city that would not let anyone down.

"To host games that unite us in noble competition and shard⁴ celebration of our limitless potential as a people. And so, I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America and if you do, if we walk this path together, then I promise you this, the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud. Thank you so much," the president said.

Delegations⁵ from Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid then delivered their final presentations.

Observers predict the outcome may be very close with just two, three of four votes in the end determining the winning city.

1 instilled   

v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Nature has instilled in our minds an insatiable desire to see truth. 自然给我们心灵注入了永无休止的发现真理的欲望。 来自辞典例句
• I instilled the need for kindness into my children. 我不断向孩子们灌输仁慈的必要。 来自辞典例句

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 shard   

n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片

参考例句：

• Eyewitnesses spoke of rocks and shards of glass flying in the air.目击者称空中石块和玻璃碎片四溅。
• That's the same stuff we found in the shard.那与我们发现的碎片在材质上一样。

5 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法