VOA慢速英语 2008 1025a

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Americans will elect a new president one week from Tuesday.

As the campaign enters its final week, some are still undecided. Two polls, from the Associated Press and Investor's Business Daily, showed Barack Obama leading by just one point among likely voters. But other opinion polls show him more than ten percentage points ahead of John McCain.
　

Barack Obama speaking to a huge crowd in St. Louis, Missouri, last Saturday

Barack Obama has collected record amounts of donations -- one hundred fifty million dollars last month alone. The latest reports, though, show that fund raising slowed during the first two weeks of October, when he raised thirty-six million dollars.

His campaign is spending heavily on TV and radio advertising¹ in states that either candidate could win. These include states like Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia that have not chosen a Democrat² for president in a long time. The Illinois senator has also bought thirty minutes on national networks this Wednesday night.

Barack Obama is the first major-party candidate not to join the public financing system for the general election. John McCain agreed to fund raising limits when he chose to accept public financing.

The Arizona senator is limited to spending eighty-four million dollars in public money during the final two months of the campaign. But the Republican National Committee and other joint³ fund-raising committees have been raising additional support.
　

John McCain in Denver, Colorado, Friday

Senator McCain says his opponent broke a promise to accept public financing. But Senator Obama included conditions that could let him change his mind. And that is what he did in June, after his campaign started raising large amounts.

He told supporters that "the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken." He said "we face opponents who've become masters at gaming this broken system."

Barack Obama has raised more than six hundred million dollars in all. That almost equals the combined total raised by President Bush and John Kerry in the two thousand four election.

John McCain says he worries not just about this election but also the future if candidates no longer stick to public financing. He noted⁴ on Fox News Sunday that public financing was a result of the Watergate scandal.

That involved illegal activities financed by President Richard Nixon's re-election committee in the early nineteen seventies. Watergate, as well as concerns about the influence of large donations, led to new campaign finance rules.

Public financing of presidential candidates began in nineteen seventy-six, though legislation was first proposed a century ago.

In two thousand two, Congress increased rules for political parties with a campaign reform measure known as the McCain-Feingold Act. John McCain and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold were the main authors.

Jay Dow is a political scientist at the University of Missouri. He says the parties have reacted to those rules by raising more money among smaller donors⁵. He says small donations now produce most of the money that goes into the political process.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》