VOA标准英语2010年-Battle Intensifies for Control of US C

The latest poll from The Washington Post and ABC News shows Republicans leading Democrats¹ by a margin² of 49 to 43 percent among likely voters. Other surveys show the parties effectively tied. It was only a month ago that Democrats trailed on that question by 10 points in several surveys, and the improvement suggests that Democrats are having some success in energizing³ their core supporters to vote in the election.

Presidential pull

The tightening⁴ in some polls might be due in part to stepped-up efforts by President Barack Obama to rally his supporters, especially younger people and minorities who turned out in huge numbers to support him in the presidential election two years ago.

"Now is not the time to lose heart," said President Obama. "Now is not the time to give up. We do not quit. And we cannot forget that this nation has been through far worse and we have come out stronger from war to depression to the great struggle for equal rights and civil rights. We do not quit!"

There are also signs of a Democratic comeback in the area of campaign fundraising. The Democratic National Committee raised $16 million for their House and Senate candidates in September alone as both major parties get ready for the final four weeks of the campaign.

High stakes

President Obama has a lot at stake in the upcoming elections. If Democrats lose control of one or both chambers⁵ of Congress, Republicans would be able to slow down or block most of the president's legislative⁶ agenda during the next two years.

Tom DeFrank is a longtime political analyst⁷ who writes for the New York Daily News.

"He has basically said to Democrats, 'If you think things are not to your liking⁸, wait to see what happens if you have a Republican Congress starting in January of next year.' And I think that has had some effect. The question is: Will it have enough effect to keep the House of Representatives from switching from Democratic control to Republican control? At the moment, I still think the odds⁹ favor a Republican takeover in the House."

GOP enthusiasm

Republicans point to other new surveys that show them with a decided¹⁰ advantage in enthusiasm heading into the elections. A new Gallup poll finds that half of the Republicans surveyed are very enthusiastic about voting, while only one-third of Democrats feel the same way.

For months, public opinion surveys have shown a large percentage of voters eager for change in Washington and ready to take out their frustration¹¹ on Democrats who hold majorities in both houses of Congress.

California Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy spoke¹² when Republicans unveiled what they call their Pledge to America - a governing agenda that includes cuts in taxes and government spending. "We are here today to tell you that we have been listening and we have heard you. We heard you loud and clear."

Tea Party movement

Surveys also show that Republicans are benefiting from the energy created by conservative and libertarian grassroots activists¹³ who make up the Tea Party movement, which is committed to reducing the size of government.

John Fortier, a political analyst with the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, said, "We will see that energy benefit Republicans. It will help candidates who are now running against Democrats. Some of those elected will be very strongly libertarian and anti-government. There will be a few cases where the party is pushed too far to the right to win. But in general, not very many [cases]. In general, I think the atmosphere is greatly improved for Republicans by the Tea Party."

Historical analysis

Historically, the party that controls the White House generally has lost seats in a new president's first midterm election. Analysts¹⁴ say opposition¹⁵ parties often have an advantage in the midterms because their supporters are more motivated to vote than members of the party in power.

Republican pollster and strategist Ed Goeas says, "There is a basic tendency of the American public, and you have heard me say this before, that it is easier to scream with alarm than point with pride. And so often, the out-party [i.e., opposition] is always more intense because they are focusing on those things that are scaring them as opposed to those things that people are being prideful of."

Republicans need a gain of 39 seats to retake control of the 435-member House of Representatives and they need to gain 10 seats to win back the majority in the 100-member Senate. All 435 House seats are at stake this year, along with 37 Senate seats and 37 state governorships.

1 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》

2 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

3 energizing   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的现在分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• a refreshing and energizing fruit drink 提神并增加体能的果汁饮料
• The time required after energizing a device, before its rated output characteristics begin to apply. 从设备通电到它开始提供额定输出特性之间所需的时间。 来自辞典例句

4 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

5 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 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。

8 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

9 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。