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THIS IS AMERICA - George W. Bush and John Kerry

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THIS IS AMERICA - George W. Bush and John Kerry
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, October 18, 2004

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. On November second, the United States will hold general elections. Americans will vote for national, state and local representatives. They also will choose a president, as they do every four years. Today we tell about the two major candidates for president.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
The two candidates at their third and final debate.
President George W. Bush is seeking a second term in office. He is the Republican Party candidate. The Democratic Party candidate is John Kerry. He is a member of the United States Senate.

Americans in past elections sometimes objected that the major candidates seemed to agree about many issues. Clearly, that is not true this year. George W. Bush and John Kerry each say they can protect Americans from harm and improve the economy. But the two men have very different ideas about how the United States should be governed.

VOICE TWO:

In some ways, the lives of both candidates are similar. Both were born into well-educated families. They had more wealth than average Americans. Mister Kerry's father was a Foreign Service officer for the State Department. Mister Bush's father served four years as President. He had been Vice1 President for eight years and held several other high-level positions in government.

George W. Bush and John Kerry attended some of the best schools in the United States. Both men are married and the fathers of two adult daughters. Mister Bush's wife Laura is a former teacher.

Mister Kerry's wife Teresa is chairman of two large aid organizations. She accepted the position after her first husband, Senator John Heinz, died in nineteen ninety-one.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

George W. Bush was born in the state of Connecticut in nineteen forty-six. However, he grew up in Texas. He graduated from Yale University in Connecticut. During the Vietnam War, he was a fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. This meant he did not have to fight in Vietnam.

Critics have said that Mister Bush's father helped his son get a position in the Air National Guard. There also are reports that George W. Bush did not complete all his requirements in the National Guard. But he left the service with honor when his term of duty ended. Then he studied business administration at Harvard Business School in Massachusetts.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Bush returned to Texas and worked in the energy business. He has said he became serious about Christianity during this period. Since then, he says religion has been important in his life. Mister Bush worked for his father's campaign for president in nineteen eighty-eight. Later, George W. Bush became part owner of the Texas Rangers2 baseball team. He was elected governor of Texas in nineteen ninety-four. Four years later, he won a second term in office.

Mister Bush was the Republican candidate for President four years ago. He defeated Vice President Al Gore3 in an extremely close, disputed race.

VOICE ONE:

George W. Bush was sworn in as America's forty-third President on January twentieth, two thousand one. On September eleventh, militants4 linked to the al-Qaida terror group attacked the United States. Three thousand people were killed in the attacks.

President Bush said the United States would punish those responsible. He also announced what he called a war against terrorism. The Taleban government in Afghanistan had provided support for al-Qaida. The United States military ousted5 the Taleban and captured suspected al-Qaida supporters.

President Bush supported creation of the USA Patriot6 Act. This measure increases the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Critics say parts of the law violate Constitutional guarantees of privacy and fair treatment.

VOICE TWO:

In early two thousand two, President Bush told Congress that the war against terrorism was just beginning. He said the United States must stop terrorists from possessing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. The President criticized three nations – North Korea, Iran and Iraq. He said they were an axis7 of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.

The United States and Britain invaded Iraq and ousted its leader, Saddam Hussein, last year. Mister Bush said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to the United States. Recently, America's chief weapons inspector8 reported that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. But Mister Bush says intelligence reports showed enough of a threat to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

In June, an American-led coalition9 gave power to a temporary Iraqi government. Iraq is expected to hold elections in January.

VOICE ONE:

In the United States, one of Mister Bush's most popular measures has been a temporary cut in federal income taxes. Now Mister Bush wants Congress to make the tax cuts permanent.

At his urging, Congress passed a health care law for older adults. He says the new law helps forty million people buy medicines. Congress also approved his program meant to improve education in public schools. Mister Bush signed an order lifting barriers to ties between the government and organizations established by religious groups. He supports a Constitutional amendment10 to bar marriages between people of the same sex.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Democratic Party candidate John Kerry was born in Colorado in nineteen forty-three. He completed studies at Yale University in nineteen sixty-six. That year, he joined the United States Navy.

Mister Kerry was wounded and won honors for his service in the Vietnam War. But, like President Bush, Mister Kerry's military service has been criticized.

Some men who served in Vietnam say he lied about some of his actions. But the Navy says it acted correctly in approving and awarding the honors.

Mister Kerry began to question the Vietnam War after his military service ended. He helped lead other former soldiers in opposing America's part in the conflict. He asked Congress: "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

VOICE ONE:

John Kerry received a degree in law from Boston College in nineteen seventy-six. He became a lawyer for the Massachusetts state government. Then he served two years as lieutenant11 governor of the state.

Mister Kerry was first elected to the United States Senate twenty years ago. He is now serving his fourth term. In the Senate, Mister Kerry has become known for his interest in the environment. For example, he opposes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. President Bush supports it.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Kerry voted to give President Bush the power to declare war against Iraq. But the Senator criticizes the way the Iraqi conflict has been fought. More than one thousand Americans have died in Iraq since the war started in March of last year. Many Iraqi civilians12 also have been killed. Mister Kerry talked about the war in Iraq:

KERRY: "You gotta be able to look in the eyes of families and say to those parents, 'I tried to do everything in my power to prevent the loss of your son and daughter.' I don't believe the United States did that. And we pushed our allies aside."

President Bush has defended American actions in Iraq. He says they are needed to fight the war against terrorism. The President also has expressed great satisfaction that Iraqis are free of a cruel dictator.

VOICE ONE:

Mister Kerry says the United States should be recovering faster from a period of weak economic activity. He denounces the growth of the national debt under Mister Bush's leadership.

President Bush talked about his economic record:

BUSH: "We delivered historic tax relief, and over the past three years, America has had the fastest growing economy in the industrialized world."

President Bush also says he wants young workers to place some of the taxes on their pay in private retirement13 accounts. John Kerry opposes this idea. Mister Bush opposes most operations to end pregnancies14. Mister Kerry supports a woman's right to have such an abortion15. His position is in disagreement with his religious group, the Roman Catholic Church.

VOICE TWO:

Recent public opinion studies show that support is divided evenly between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Experts say the election in November will be very close. Some people say this will be the most important election in recent times.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver16. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vice NU0zQ     
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。
2 rangers f306109e6f069bca5191deb9b03359e2     
护林者( ranger的名词复数 ); 突击队员
参考例句:
  • Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗? 来自超越目标英语 第3册
  • Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者,所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
3 gore gevzd     
n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶
参考例句:
  • The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
  • Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。
4 militants 3fa50c1e4338320d8495907fdc5bdbaf     
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来,反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
  • Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此,巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。
5 ousted 1c8f4f95f3bcc86657d7ec7543491ed6     
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺
参考例句:
  • He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
  • He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。
6 patriot a3kzu     
n.爱国者,爱国主义者
参考例句:
  • He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
  • He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。
7 axis sdXyz     
n.轴,轴线,中心线;坐标轴,基准线
参考例句:
  • The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
  • The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。
8 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
9 coalition pWlyi     
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
参考例句:
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
10 amendment Mx8zY     
n.改正,修正,改善,修正案
参考例句:
  • The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
  • The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。
11 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
12 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
参考例句:
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
13 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
14 pregnancies 2fedeb45162c233ee9e28d81888a2d2c     
怀孕,妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象,战时人口正该补充。
  • She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。
15 abortion ZzjzxH     
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。
16 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

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