2007年VOA标准英语-Latest US Presidential Polls Show Good News for

By Jim Malone
Washington
13 June 2007

Several recent public opinion polls suggest Senator Hillary Clinton is solidifying¹ her lead for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination².  On the Republican side, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to lead a field of candidates that could grow in the weeks ahead.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the 2008 presidential race from Washington. 

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Democratic presidential hopeful US Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 02 June 2007

Senator Clinton remains⁴ in a strong position in the Democratic race according to several new polls.

A survey by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut had Clinton winning the support of 35 percent of those Democrats⁵ polled, with Illinois Senator Barack Obama in second place at 21 percent and former Vice⁶ President Al Gore⁷ at 18 percent.  Gore has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for president next year.

Maurice Carroll is director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute.  Carroll says Clinton's Democratic rivals are hoping she stumbles in some of the early primary states when the voting begins in January.

"What the numbers seem to say is that unless she gets dislodged by something like Iowa or New Hampshire, she is the nominee," he said.  "So you have to wonder, Obama for vice president?"

Leon Panetta is a former Democratic congressman⁸ who later served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff.  Panetta says Hillary Clinton benefits from a strong campaign and fundraising organization and from a perception among Democratic voters that she is a capable leader.

"She is leading in part because of experience," he said.  "She was First Lady.  She is a United States Senator.  She has obviously proven herself to be a good campaigner, she ran in New York and won handily for election and re-election.  In addition, her husband remains pretty popular."

Mitt9 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" src="/upimg/allimg/070628/0922261.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Republican presidential hopefuls former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, left, embraces former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as Senator John McCain walks by after the Republican debate, 15 May 2007

The race for the Republican presidential nomination appears far less certain.

Although Rudy Giuliani continues to lead in all recent polls, the expected entrance into the race of former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has the potential to shake up the Republican field.

Thompson has yet to formally announce his candidacy, but he did say he would like to be president on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

"I have never craved¹⁰ the job of president, but I want to do some things that only a president can do," he said.  "So the answer is yes."

Pollster Maurice Carroll says Thompson would represent an alternative for social conservative voters who have yet to decide on which Republican candidate to support next year.

"And Thompson as the 'I wonder who he is' kind of candidate, as the outsider who has not been knocked around yet, Thompson looks pretty good in a fluid field where quite clearly, Republicans have not made up their minds," he added.

In addition to Thompson, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich is considering a presidential bid as well.

The latest polls suggest support for Arizona Republican Senator John McCain may be slipping a bit.

In the latest survey by the Los Angeles Times newspaper and the Bloomberg news service, Fred Thompson placed second among Republicans, behind Giuliani and well ahead of McCain, who had been running second in most polls for months.

1 solidifying   

（使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的现在分词 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化

参考例句：

• The substances are formed from a mixture of liquids solidifying under pressure. 这些材料是由几种液体混合在一起并加压使之凝固而成的。
• Painting is an art solidifies time and space for solidifying. 绘画是凝固了的时间和空间的艺术。

2 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。

3 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

4 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。

5 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》

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

8 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。

9 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。

10 craved   

渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求

参考例句：

• She has always craved excitement. 她总渴望刺激。
• A spicy, sharp-tasting radish was exactly what her stomach craved. 她正馋着想吃一个香甜可口的红萝卜呢。