2007年VOA标准英语-Gingrich to Decide by October on US Presidentia

By Jim Malone
Washington
07 August 2007

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he will decide by October whether to join the already crowded field of Republican presidential contenders.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Gingrich spoke¹ to the National Press Club and said if he runs he will focus on convincing Americans that the United States needs to do much more to win the global war on terror.

"I believe the challenges we face as a country are larger than the Cold War, larger than the Second World War and larger than the Great Depression," he said.

In the meantime, Gingrich is proposing that the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees² agree to a series of weekly debates beginning in September of 2008 and leading up to the election in November, with each debate focused on a separate major issue.

"I believe most Americans would relish³ an adult conversation and are sick of the canned, consulted, commercialized process we are trapped in," he added.

A total of nine Republicans and eight Democrats⁴ are already in the race for their party nominations⁶ in a presidential election cycle that has begun earlier than any in history.

Fred Thompson, 11 March 2007

In addition to the possibility of Gingrich entering the race, former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination⁵ in September.

The first major test for Republican presidential hopefuls comes on Saturday in the Midwest state of Iowa.  Iowa Republicans are holding what is called a straw poll or test vote for the presidential contenders, which is considered by some as an indication of the candidate's popularity and organizational strength.

This year, however, top contenders including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Senator Thompson have chosen not to participate in the Iowa event.

Experts believe that could provide an opening for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁷ Romney, who has been openly courting social conservative voters who make up a key constituency within the Republican Party.

Iowa also plays an important role in the actual nominating process next year by hosting the first presidential caucus⁸ vote in mid-January, a key test for White House contenders from both parties.

The war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism already loom⁹ as major issues in next year's presidential and congressional elections.

Fred Barnes is editor of the Weekly Standard magazine.  He says Democrats will try to take advantage of the public's unhappiness over the war in Iraq while Republicans will attempt to position themselves as better able to protect national security.

Fred Barnes (file photo)

"Republicans cannot stand having another election about the Iraq war, which was the case in 2006, and of course it was a calamitous¹⁰ defeat for Republicans, not only losing [control of] Congress, but losing a lot at the local and state level as well," Barnes said VOA's Issues in the News program.

The latest USA Today-Gallup poll has Senator Hillary Clinton of New York leading the Democratic field by a margin¹¹ of 48 percent to 26 percent for Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and 12 percent for former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

On the Republican side, the same poll had former Mayor Giuliani in the lead with 33 percent, followed by former Senator Thompson at 21 percent and Senator McCain with 16 percent.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

3 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

4 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》

5 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。

6 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

9 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

10 calamitous   

adj.灾难的，悲惨的；多灾多难；惨重

参考例句：

• We are exposed to the most calamitous accidents. 我们遭受着极大的灾难。 来自辞典例句
• Light reveals the subtle alteration of things, the sly or calamitous impermanence or mortal life. 事物的细微变动，人生的狡猾，倏忽无常，一一都在光中显露出来。 来自辞典例句

11 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。