VOA标准英语2011--Black Conservative Herman Cain Surges in

Black Conservative Herman Cain Surges in US Presidential Campaign Polls

In the past couple of weeks, a man many voters had never heard of until recently surged in public opinion polls about the race for the U.S. Republican presidential nomination¹. Herman Cain, the former head of the Godfather's Pizza chain, has never been elected to public office. Many of Cain's supporters like him because he is not a career politician.
Wherever he goes these days, Herman Cain is besieged² by fans. But many political analysts³ contend this political novice⁴ has no chance of winning the Republican nomination.
Cain dismisses such talk.
“The only ones who see that as a negative are the pundits⁵ who have been dead wrong up to this point in thinking that this long shot [unlikely winner] does not have a chance," he said.
But Cain lags behind in campaign fundraising compared with his leading rivals,Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁶ Romney. Still, participants in a recent straw poll in Florida put Cain in first place.
“The overwhelming victory in that straw poll shows that message is more powerful than money," said Cain.
Cain wants to reform the U.S. tax system with his 9-9-9 plan, setting the income tax rate for corporations and individuals, as well as a national sales tax, all at nine percent.
Economists⁷ give the plan mixed reviews, but he says it will solve the country's fiscal⁸ crisis.
“If the American people understand it, they are going to support it and they are going to demand it," he said.
Hanne Kirkpatrick supports the plan.
“It levels the playing field, it makes everything fair," said Kirkpatrick.
Sales manager Renee Cummins likes Cain's business-like approach to government.
“The United States of America is headed toward bankruptcy⁹, but if we were run more like a corporation, I think it would be better for everyone," said Cummins.
But some voters remain skeptical¹⁰. Seventeen-year-old Sean Tucker will vote for the first time next year.
“He does not have experience actually playing the political game; he could find himself co-opted by corporate¹¹ interests, assuming he already isn't," said Tucker.
With Cain now high up in most polls, other candidates will likely attack his tax plan, as well as his lack of government experience.
But, if he were to win the Republican nomination, it would be another milestone¹² in U.S. history, with a black opposition¹³ candidate campaigning to replace the first black president.

1 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。

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 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。

4 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

5 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

9 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

13 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。