2006年VOA标准英语-Republican Leaders Vow Comeback, Maintain Stanc

By Dan Robinson
Washington
17 November 2006 

House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio arrives at US Capitol, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006

Sounding a theme of unity¹, Republican leaders in Congress are vowing² a comeback in the wake of major election losses. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on the results of party elections Friday in the House of Representatives that reinstalled well-known faces to oppose Democrats³ who take over majority control of Congress in January.

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House Republicans faced a choice between two conservative lawmakers, one whose leadership skills have been tested for only 10 months and another who portrayed⁴ himself as an agent of change.

One of them is John Boehner, a 57-year-old Ohio lawmaker who won a hotly contested party election last February to replace former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who stepped down while facing criminal charges in his home state of Texas.

Boehner's rise in the hierarchy⁵ had been slow and steady. He established a reputation as an able political operator and articulate spokesman for such key Republican policies as limited government and lower taxes.

He was challenged by Indiana Congressman⁶ Mike Pence, an outspoken⁷ fiscal⁸ conservative and leader of a group of Republicans who favor tighter control of spending.

But it is Boehner, by an overwhelming 168 to 27 vote, who will return to what will be the top post for Republicans in the minority.

He underscored the message of Republicans since they lost the House and the Senate to Democrats: namely that while much work remains⁹, retaking the majority in 2008, also a presidential election year, is within reach. "And to work hard so that we can earn our way back into the majority. And to do that means that we need to fight for a smaller, less-costly and more accountable federal government. But I think the key operative word here, is that we are going to work as a team, and we are going to earn our way back into our majority," he said.

Another familiar face in the present Republican majority leadership will return. Roy Blunt of Missouri won a tight contest with Arizona Congressman John Shadegg for the post of minority whip.

By retaining Boehner and Blunt, it appears a Republicans voted for stability over change, despite calls from factions¹⁰ within the party and conservative spokesmen and commentators¹¹ for new faces to challenge Democrats.

Since the election, many Republicans have asserted that Americans did not reject conservative values, only Republican failures to stick to and efficiently¹² implement¹³ their agenda. Blunt says they have learned from mistakes. "Frankly¹⁴, to get rid of the bad habits that we may have developed in 12 years in the majority. It is not our job to defend business as usual, not our job to try to define the federal government in the biggest possible way. We need to do the right things. Our conference is ready to do that," he said.

In a separate written statement, Blunt launched a blast at the future Democratic leadership, and incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in particular, saying Republicans will "give Democrats a viable¹⁵ alternative [to Pelosi's] liberal, San Francisco agenda."

In Friday's news conference, Boehner stood firm firmly by President Bush on the issue of Iraq. "Republicans in the Congress want to win in Iraq. I think the president wants to win in Iraq, and most importantly I think the American people want to win in Iraq," he said.

Conspicuously¹⁶ absent from the first Republican leadership news conference was House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who, while re-elected to Congress from his district in Illinois, decided¹⁷ not to pursue a leadership post.

Hastert's final months as speaker were marked by pressure on him and other key Republicans from a congressional and federal probe into inappropriate contacts and e-mail by a former Republican lawmaker Mark Foley with teenage congressional interns¹⁸.

Senate Republicans chose their leaders earlier this week, with Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell set to become the future minority leader, and Mississippi's Trent Lott making a political comeback in the number two post.

With future House and Senate majority and minority leaderships set, both parties still need to get through the transitional "lame¹⁹ duck" session, facing the reality of unfinished work such as major appropriations²⁰ bills required to keep the government running.

Lawmakers return to work for that in the first week of December, aiming if possible to bring the 109th Congress to a formal close no later than the middle of the month.

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

2 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

3 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》

4 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

8 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

11 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

13 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

14 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

15 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

16 conspicuously   

ad.明显地，惹人注目地

参考例句：

• France remained a conspicuously uneasy country. 法国依然是个明显不太平的国家。
• She figured conspicuously in the public debate on the issue. 她在该问题的公开辩论中很引人注目。

17 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。

18 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

19 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

20 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件