2007年VOA标准英语-Giuliani Top Contender for Republican President

By Jim Malone
Washington
13 September 2007
 

One of the leading contenders for the Republican Party's presidential nomination¹ next year is former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.   Giuliani won praise for his handling of the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and for a drastic reduction in crime in the city during his tenure² as mayor. But critics point to Giuliani's combative³ style as a political drawback.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more on Giuliani's career and personal background from Washington.

Rudy Giuliani (file photo)

In the tense hours immediately following the 9/11 attacks, no one on the national scene embodied⁴ the combination of sympathy, resolve and strength more than New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "It is terrible.  The damage is terrible.  People are doing everything that they can to rescue as many people as possible and this is going to be a longer-term effort.  I just wanted to make sure that everything is here that could be here.  It is, so we just pray to God that we can save a few people."

It is that image of compassion⁵ and toughness that Giuliani hopes will carry him to the Republican presidential nomination and into the White House in 2008.

But the political phenomenon known as Rudy Giuliani came from humble⁶ beginings.

Giuliani was born in Brooklyn in 1944, the grandson of Italian immigrants. 

Even thought his father spent time in prison, Guiliani went on to become a lawyer and a federal prosecutor⁷ who went after white collar criminals and some of the city's notorious Mafia figures.

Giuliani narrowly lost a bid for mayor in 1989, but won four years later and quickly gained a reputation as a crime fighter and tax cutter.

But Giuliani's combative political style frequently got him into trouble and he was criticized by civil rights activists⁸ for his handling of some highly publicized incidents of police abuse that targeted minorities.

Among his critics is former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. "Giuliani,  who I would be horrified⁹ if he became president because he is a mean spirited guy.  A good mayor, not a great mayor, because he did not like people and insulted people."

After he rushed to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Guiliani earned praise from citizens and politicians and the unofficial title of America's Mayor.  Time Magazine named him Person of the Year for 2001.

Some firefighters and their families later accused Giuliani of hastily abandoning the search for remains¹⁰ in the rubble¹¹ of the World Trade Center.

As he seeks the White House in 2008, Giuliani is positioning himself as someone who has proven his cool under pressure and who would aggressively prosecute¹² the war on terror.

Like President Bush, Giuliani sees the struggle in Iraq as the key front in the overall war on terrorism. "The terrorists have been at war with us for quite some time, for quite some time before September 11, and they are going to continue to be at war with us, no matter what the outcome in Iraq," he said. "We hope and we root for and we pray for a successful outcome in Iraq.  Every American should pray for that and want that."

Public opinion polls indicate Giuliani is a top contender because Republicans admire his reputation for leadership.  But some social conservatives reject Guliani's moderate to liberal views on social issues like abortion¹³, homosexual rights and gun control.

Larry Sabato (file photo)

Larry Sabato directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "To the extent that Giuliani can keep the election focused on 9/11 and national security, he will have a good chance to be the nominee¹⁴," he said. "To the extent, though, that the other candidates get their way and we start talking about abortion, gay rights, gun control, the other social issues, immigration, Giuliani is going to be disadvantaged."

Giuliani's personal life could also be an issue in the campaign.  Giuliani is on his third marriage and his marital¹⁵ woes¹⁶ during his tenure as mayor were often fodder¹⁷ for New York's tenacious¹⁸ tabloid¹⁹ newspapers.

John Fortier is an expert on presidential politics at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. "If he were to win, he would be in many ways a very strong candidate for Republicans because he could appeal to voters in the middle," he said.  "He is a very charismatic figure and he is also something of a volatile²⁰ figure, and I think that is something we are going to have to watch as well."

Even many Democrats²¹ believe Guilini would be a formidable Republican presidential nominee.  But experts say his biggest challenge will be convincing social conservatives that he is the best candidate.

1 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。

2 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

3 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

4 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

6 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

10 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。

11 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

12 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

13 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。

14 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

15 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

16 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

17 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

18 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

19 tabloid   

adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘

参考例句：

• He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism.他口头对小报新闻进行了抨击。
• He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.他认为小报媒体的行为不太光彩。

20 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

21 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》