voa标准英语2008-Obama Moves Transition Ahead, as Political Crisi

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is moving his White House transition forward, as political turmoil¹ builds over the selection of his successor in the United States Senate. The governor of the state of Illinois stands accused of trying to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder². There are efforts to convince Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign.
　

President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago, 11 Dec 2008

President-elect Obama has called on the governor to step down, as have other prominent people in the state. Governor Blagojevich has resisted. But the top lawyer in Illinois, State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, says the governor may be rethinking his position.

"I don't know if that means he will resign or take another option that is provided under the Illinois Constitution where he can voluntarily recognize that there is a serious impediment to his ability to carry out his duties and therefore temporarily remove himself," said Lisa Madigan.

Blagojevich has not been formally indicted³. But Madigan told NBC's Meet the Press program that the allegations of corruption⁴ put forward by government investigators⁵ are severely⁶ damaging.
　

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (File)

"There is also the serious concern that everything he does from here on out is going to be tainted⁷, is going to be illegitimate," she said. "So, we think it is absolutely obvious that he is incapable⁸ of governing and the best thing to do is move aside."

Appearing on the same broadcast, Illinois Lieutenant⁹ Governor Pat Quinn described Blagojevich as a man who became increasingly isolated¹⁰ during his time in office.

"The last time I spoke¹¹ to him was in August of 2007," said Pat Quinn. "I think one of the problems is the governor did sort of seal himself off from all the statewide officials - [including] Attorney General Madigan and myself and many others - and that is no way to govern."
　

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (2007 file photo)

The scandal surrounding the governor and the vacant Senate seat could be a major distraction¹² for Mr. Obama, as he prepares to assume power in Washington.

The president-elect has remained in Illinois throughout most of the transition period, sharing headlines in recent days with news stories about the governor.

Mr. Obama has been trying to keep the focus on his Cabinet nominees¹³ and his plans for the future. He has found what some would call an unlikely supporter in his former rival for the presidency¹⁴, Senator John McCain.

The Arizona Republican says Barack Obama is putting together a very strong Cabinet to tackle the tough issues facing the country.

"It tells me that the president-elect is going to address national security issues with people the American people can trust, and that he can place trust and confidence in," said Senator McCain.

McCain appeared on ABC's This Week.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 bidder   

n.(拍卖时的)出价人，报价人，投标人

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder.电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。
• The bidder withdrew his bid after submission of his bid.投标者在投标之后撤销了投标书。

3 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 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。

12 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

13 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

14 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。