巴拿马揭开大选序幕

 　　PANAMA CITY, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Panamanians will go to the polls Sunday to elect a new president, vice¹ president and legislators.

　　Seven candidates are registered in the presidential race, with three leading the field -- Jose Domingo Arias² from the ruling conservative Democratic Change party, Juan Carlos Navarro from the center-left Democratic Revolutionary Party and Juan Carlos Varela from the conservative Panamenista Party.

　　Voters were almost equally divided among the three leading candidates, with most polls showing each with about a third of the electorate's support.

　　"This parity³ in the polls has generated obvious tension in Panama's general elections and the aggressive campaigns are a reflection of that," a Panamanian commentator⁴ wrote Thursday in a column.

　　Some of the tensions have been generated by current President Ricardo Martinelli, who is barred by the constitution from running again, but has nevertheless managed to become a central figure in the race.

　　His wife, Marta Linares de Martinelli, is running as the ruling party candidate's running mate, a move seen by most as Martinelli's attempt to maintain his hold on power.

　　Though the heated presidential race has generated some excitement among voters, political observers generally believe that none of the three contenders represents a radical⁵ change in the Central American nation's political, economic or social policy.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 vice   

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 arias   

n.咏叹调( aria的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you pick out the operatic arias quoted in this orchestral passage? 你能听出这段管弦乐曲里有歌剧式的咏叹调吗？ 来自辞典例句
• The actions are large and colour, there are arias and recitatives. 动作夸张而华美，有唱段也有宣叙部。 来自辞典例句

3 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

4 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

5 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。