2006年VOA标准英语-Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Seeking Re-Election in

By Michael Bowman
Caracas
03 December 2006

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is seeking another six-year term, as

Venezuelans line up to vote at a polling station in Caracas, 3 Dec 2006

voters go to the polls in one of Latin America's most closely watched elections. VOA's Michael Bowman reports form Caracas, Mr. Chavez faces an opposition¹ governor from one of the country's main oil-producing states.

Early voter turnout was heavy in much of the country, with many Venezuelans gathering² outside polling stations hours before they opened.

At one station in central Caracas, the line stretched for several hundred meters all the way around a large city block. Patricia Jimenez was near the head of the line when doors opened, having arrived three hours early, at 3 a.m.

She says there was never any doubt as to her vote. She says, "I like the president. I admire him. I do. As far as I am concerned, he is an incredible man."

Jimenez says she fully³ supports Mr. Chavez' programs aimed at helping⁴ the poor, and believes the president is using Venezuela's oil wealth to bring about a more egalitarian society.

Near the middle of the line, Fatima de Silva said she planned to vote for opposition candidate Manuel Rosales, who temporarily stepped down as governor of Zulia state to pursue his presidential bid.

She says, "I do not share the president's ideals. In eight years [of his government], he has not convinced me. When he speaks with hate and hostility⁵, he divides the country."

Some polling stations opened late, but there were no early reports of major irregularities.

Venezuela has implemented⁶ what many observers regard as the most exhaustive set of electoral safeguards ever seen in Latin America. They include fingerprint⁷ voter identification, electronic balloting⁹ with a paper receipt and thorough vigilance of balloting by election workers, representatives of both major candidates and observers form the Organization of American States, the European Union, Mercosur, and the Atlanta-based Carter Center. More than 100,000 troops have been dispatched to provide security at 11,000 polling stations.

Election officials have a promised free and transparent¹⁰ vote, with absolute respect for the secrecy¹¹ of the ballot⁸. Not everyone is convinced, however, and some, like Caracas resident Jose Rodriguez, are guarded about expressing their voter preference to the news media.

Rodriguez would only discuss the kind of country he wants to live in.

He says, "I want an open and independent democracy, where we can live freely, and no one tells us how to run our lives, where there is equality, and where we are unified¹² as a people."

President Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and survived a 2002 coup¹³ attempt, has promised to launch a new phase of his so-called "Bolivarian Revolution" and to continue to battle what he views as the "imperialist" policies of the United States.

Barely known by many Venezuelans just months ago, Rosales has managed to unite a once-fractured opposition that boycotted¹⁴ legislative¹⁵ elections last year.

Rosales has accused Mr. Chavez, an open admirer of Cuba's Fidel Castro, of seeking to impose one-party, communist rule on Venezuela. He has also accused the president of failing to combat crime and corruption¹⁶. Rosales has pledged to distribute Venezuela's massive oil revenues to the people through government-issued debit¹⁷ cards.

Most pre-election polls favored the president, who has predicted a "crushing" win over the opposition. Rosales has insisted that late-campaign momentum¹⁸ shifted in his favor and will propel him to victory.

1 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。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

6 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

7 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

8 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。

9 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

12 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

14 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

15 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

18 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。