VOA慢速英语20060909a

 

IN THE NEWS - Fight for U.S. Congress Speeds Up; Mexico's Presidential DisputeBy Brianna Blake

Broadcast: Saturday, September 09, 2006

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.


A map showing Senate seats that will be decided¹ in November's election. Red states are currently held by Republicans, Blue by Democrats².

This week marked the traditional start of the campaign season in the United States after Labor³ Day. Congressional, state and local elections are November seventh.

The Republican Party has controlled both houses of Congress for almost twelve years. Opposition⁴ Democrats see a chance to win back at least one.

These are called midterm elections because they come halfway⁵ through the president's term.

The Democrats need to gain fifteen out of four hundred thirty-five seats to take control of the House of Representatives. It is unusual for members of Congress to be voted out of office. And most political experts believe changing the current balance of power in the Senate would be even more difficult.

Democrats hold eighteen of the seats that will be on the ballot⁶ and Republicans hold fifteen. To gain a majority, the Democrats need to win six of those seats and not lose any of their own.

In opinion studies, more than sixty percent of the Americans questioned say they disapprove⁷ of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. But about fifty percent say they support his policies for the war on terror. So security could be a deciding issue on Election Day.

President Bush says the country is safer now than it was before the September eleventh attacks. In recent days, the president has given a series of speeches before the fifth anniversary.

He confirmed the use of foreign prisons by the Central Intelligence Agency to question suspected terrorists. And he asked Congress to approve the use of military commissions to try suspected terrorists for war crimes. The Supreme⁸ Court ruled in June that his plans required such approval.

Mister Bush is also urging Congress to approve his decision about monitoring the international calls and e-mail of people in the United States, without a court order. Last month, a federal judge in Detroit ruled the program illegal and unconstitutional. A number of legal experts questioned her reasoning, and the ruling is being appealed.

Congress has a lot of unfinished work, but just a few weeks before lawmakers leave to campaign. For example, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says it would be next to impossible to pass an immigration reform bill by then. So efforts will center on increased border security and enforcement of rules against employing illegal immigrants.

The loss of millions of workers to the United States is one issue that will face Mexico's next president. On Tuesday, Mexico's electoral court declared Felipe Calderon the winner of the July election by less than one percent of the votes. The decision cannot be appealed.

Opposition candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he will not accept it. His supporters say there was cheating and illegal government support for Mister Calderon. After weeks of protests, they plan to gather on September sixteenth -- Mexico's Independence Day. They will discuss what Mister Lopez Obrador says will be a separate government.

President Vicente Fox finishes his six-year term in December.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 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。

5 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。