US Presidential Race Still Close as Candidates Make Final Push

 US Presidential Race Still Close as Candidates Make Final Push

WHITE HOUSE — President Barack Obama and Republican nominee¹ Mitt² Romney are beginning three days of almost round-the-clock campaigning before Tuesday’s presidential election.  Most public opinion polls show the two candidates virtually tied.

??Before starting a marathon of campaign appearances, President Obama began Saturday by tending to business.

The president visited the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is coordinating³ relief efforts in parts of the eastern United States that were hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Obama told top advisers⁴, local officials and reporters he will make all federal resources, including the military, available to move relief supplies to the affected⁵ areas.  He promised a “120 percent” effort by everyone involved.

“We do not have any patience for bureaucracy.  We do not have any patience for red tape.  And we want to make sure that we are figuring out a way to get to ‘yes’ as opposed to ‘no’ when it comes to these problems," he said.

Former Massachusetts governor Romney made the day’s first campaign stop, in the northeastern city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

He criticized the president for telling crowds not to boo him, but to get their “revenge” by voting.

“The president said something you may have heard by now, that I think surprised a lot of people.  Speaking to an audience, he said, you know, ‘Voting is the best revenge.’  He told his supporters, voting for revenge.  Vote for revenge?  Let me tell you what I would like to tell you, vote for love of country," he said.

New Hampshire is the smallest of the so-called swing states, where the election is likely to be decided⁶.  But with polls showing the race virtually deadlocked⁷, neither candidate is taking New Hampshire for granted, and both had rallies scheduled there this weekend.

Romney’s Saturday itinerary⁸ also included stops in the midwestern state of Iowa and the western state of Colorado.

Obama began a long day of campaigning in Ohio, where he visited on Friday and will return again on Sunday.

In the city of Mentor⁹, the Democratic president sharply criticized his Republican opponent, saying he is not able to deliver the change he is promising¹⁰.

“We know what change looks like.  And what he is offering ain’t it. You know, giving more power to the biggest banks, that is not change.  Another five trillion-dollar tax cut favoring the wealthy, that is not change," he said.

Surveys show the president holding a small lead in Ohio, a state both parties desperately¹¹ want to win.  No Republican has ever been elected president without winning Ohio, and an Obama victory there would make it very difficult for Romney to win nationwide.  After Ohio, Obama would also campaign Saturday in Wisconsin and Iowa, finishing with a late-night rally in Virginia.

Perhaps as a coincidence, the city of Dubuque, Iowa would see visits by both candidates during the course of the day.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 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。

3 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

4 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 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。

7 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

8 itinerary   

n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划

参考例句：

• The two sides have agreed on the itinerary of the visit.双方商定了访问日程。
• The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.我们行程的下一站是锡利斯特拉。

9 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

10 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

11 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。