克林顿步入花甲之年

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Clinton, happy birthday to you.

And they weren't sure what to call him. He wasn't keen to celebrate. The former president told an audience in Toronto he didn't relish¹ the prospect² of marking this milestone³.

I will be 60 years old. I, I hate it, but it's true. For most of my working life, I was the youngest person doing whatever I was doing. Then one day I woke up and I was the oldest person in every room.

From one room, the Oval Office, he brokered⁴ peace agreements for the Middle East and to Northern Ireland, but it's not for these that Bill Clinton will always be remembered.

I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

That woman, Monica Lewinsky, may have cast a shadow over his legacy⁵, but his affair with her hasn't dented⁶ his popularity.

Our guest of honor, William Jefferson Clinton!

No one walks the circuit quite like he does for those on the campaign fair who is at highly sought after commodity. George Bush beat him to the big 6-0 by a month. It's a special year for America's baby boomers, the post-war generation. Clinton joins Cher, Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone in turning 60.

Now that I have more days behind me than ahead of me, I try to wake up with a discipline of gratitude⁷ everyday.

These days, it's the other Clinton grabbing most of the headlines--New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and will make her own pitch for the presidency⁸ in 2008. So he could actually make it back to the White House, but it's a really real prospect of this couple becoming the first ever Mr. and Mrs. President. Here on Capitol Hill, no one is writing Bill Clinton off just yet.

David Blevins, Sky News, in Washington.

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If you could have any band that you want it to play at your 60th birthday party, who would you choose? How about the Rolling Stones, they will be whooping⁹ it up tonight for former President Bill Clinton. He is about, he is one of about 8,000 Americans a day hitting the big 60 this year, but how does Mr. Clinton feel about that milestone. He sat down with ABC's Jack¹⁰ Tapper for this exclusive interview.

How does it feel?

It feels good. It's funny, you know, I spent most of my life being the youngest person doing whatever I was doing. One day, I woke up, and I was the oldest person in every room.

You probably remember when that number seems really, really old.

If you get to be 65 in America, your life expectancy¹¹ is like 85 or something. But for me, it's old. It's longer than my father live, longer than my stepfather live, longer than my grandfather live. For me, it's a long time and I just feel grateful.

Just two years ago, Mr. Clinton was rushed to the hospital for an emergency quadruple bypass surgery

But I feel very grateful for that. You know I could have died from my heart problems. And I didn't, got another chance of life. I just have so much gratitude. I'm very, very happy. Whatever happens now, every day is a little extra gift.

That's one of the reasons why he says he's so devoted¹² to his charity work. Providing low-cost Aids drugs for poor people with HIV/AIDS in developing nations.

This epidemic¹³ is 100% preventable. More people have to agree to be tested.

But today is a day of celebration as Clinton joins other famous baby boomers who have turned the big 60.

Have birthday to you.

Including President Bush.

This year the first of about 78 million baby boomers turns baby boomers turn 60, including two of my dad's favorite people, me and President Clinton.

So what he gets someone who seems to have it all? For the president whose secret service code name was "Elvis", I took a shot.

We have this, this is a gift. This is from Graceland. Our little birthday present.

Oh, thank you.

You probably have some of those, haven't you?

No, I don't, I don't have any of these.

But those are actual Graceland oval glasses, that's happy birthday (Oh, thank you.) from ABC news to you.

Hahahahaha...

But er...

I'll wear these over the weekend when I have the right tux on.

He will be sporting those tux tonight at the first of two-month work of birthday celebrations, ending in New York with a special concert featuring those other old men slash¹⁴ rock stars.

The greatest rock and roll band in the whole world ever the Rolling Stones.

For Good Morning America, Jack Tapper. ABC news, Washington.

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relish :to get great pleasure or satisfaction from something 满足
cast a shadow over s.th:to make a situation seem less hopeful and more likely to end badly 使某情况变地没有希望
dent:to have a bad effect on something 坏影响
whoop it up:informal to enjoy yourself in a noisy way, especially with a lot of other people 和许多人一起欢度
tux:informal a tuxedo 燕尾服

1 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 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。

4 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 dented   

v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
• I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

10 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

11 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

12 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

13 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

14 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。