2007年VOA标准英语-Conservative Sarkozy Is Elected President of Fr

By Anita Elash
Paris
06 May 2007

France has chosen a conservative candidate as its next president. Preliminary results based on exit polls showed Nicolas Sarkozy was elected with 53 per cent of the vote. That gave him a comfortable lead over his opponent, Socialist¹ Party candidate Segolene Royal. Shortly after results were announced riot police have broken up demonstrations² in Paris and Lyon against Sarkozy's election. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris.

Nicolas Sarkozy, 6 May 2007

With most of the ballots⁴ counted, Nicolas Sarkozy, who is the head of France's main conservative party, UMP, scored just over 53 percent of the vote, compared with a little over 46 percent for Royal.

Sarkozy's win was no surprise, but when it was announced supporters at his headquarters erupted into cheers, shouting "Nicolas President" and "bravo." The excitement spilled onto the street where dozens of journalists on motorcycles followed Sarkozy as he drove to a theater to make his acceptance speech.

He told his supporters that French voters had chosen to break with the ideas and habits of the past.

His supporters broke into cheers and applause again as he promised to emphasize values of work, authority, respect, merit and national identity.

Sarkozy said he would work for all of France. He also offered his support to the United States, but said real friends understand they can disagree with each other.

The second round of the presidential ballot³ pitted candidates on the right and left sides of the political spectrum⁵. Sarkozy called for tough economic reforms that would revitalize the ailing⁶ French economy. His opponent, Socialist candidate Segolene Royal proposed left-wing economic policies and "reforms without brutality⁷."

The son of Hungarian immigrants, Sarkozy is the first French president of foreign origin to be elected by universal suffrage⁸. At age 52, he is also the first president of the Fifth French Republic who has no living memory of World War II.

The ministry⁹ of the interior reported some 86 percent of the 45 million registered voters turned out at the polls.

1 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 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。

4 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

7 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

8 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。