2007年VOA标准英语-Former US Senator Thompson Moving Toward 2008 U

By Jim Malone
Washington
30 May 2007

Former Republican Senator Fred Thompson is taking steps to join the 2008 presidential race. VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has the latest from Washington.

Several news reports quoting anonymous¹ sources close to Fred Thompson say he will set up a committee next week that will allow him to raise money and hire staff for a presidential bid next year.

A report on the Politico political news Web site says Thompson is planning to officially enter the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination³ over the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4.

"It has been behind the scenes, but the campaign has been very carefully planned out with mechanisms⁴ in place for raising money," said Mike Allen, with the Politico.com. "They are going to start paying staff members next week. There is going to be a testing-the-waters committee formed, and probably around the first week in July, Senator Thompson will make it official."

Thompson has been considering a presidential bid for months, beginning with an interview on Fox television back in March.

"I am going to wait and see how it pans out, see how they do, how it develops," he said. "A lot of people think it is late already. I do not really think it is, although the rules of the game have changed somewhat."

Thompson previously⁵ served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee and as a Washington lobbyist. He is also well known for his acting⁶ roles in films and on television in the popular NBC series Law and Order.

If he did get in the race, Thompson would join a crowded Republican field that already includes 10 contenders.

Mitt2 Romney, left, embraces former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as Senator John McCain walks by after the Republican debate, 15 May 2007" hspace="2" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" src="/upimg/allimg/070608/0933281.jpg" />

Mitt Romney, left, embraces Rudy Giuliani, as Senator John McCain walks by after a Republican debate, 15 May 2007

But Thompson has scored well in public opinion polls among Republican voters, placing about third in many surveys, behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain and about even with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Political experts say Thompson could have an immediate⁷ impact if he entered the race for the Republican nomination, in part because of doubts about the current frontrunners.

"With Giuliani, it is his liberal social views on abortion⁸ and other subjects," said Larry Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "With McCain, it is the fact that he is such a maverick⁹ and out of the Republican mainstream¹⁰ on a wide variety of issues. And with Romney, it is that he is a champion flip-flopper [on issues]."

Experts say Thompson also might appeal to religious conservative voters who so far have not focused on a favorite in the Republican field.

Thompson may not be the last Republican to join the race if he makes a run for the nomination. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia says he will decide on a presidential bid sometime after September.

1 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

2 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

9 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

10 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。