VOA常速英语2008年-Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate in Te

By Greg Flakus
Houston
22 February 2008

Democratic Party presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in a debate Thursday in Texas. VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston there was more agreement on issues than clashes over differences.

The debate, on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, was marked more by broad agreement on policy issues from immigration to health care; from the war in Iraq to this week's resignation by Cuban president Fidel Castro. But there were a few contentious¹ moments. One came when Senator Obama was asked about charges that he had stolen phrases from a speech by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, using them in his own speeches without attribution.

"The notion that I had plagiarized² from someone who is one of my national co-chairs, who gave me the line and suggested that I use it, I think is silly," he said.

Senator Clinton followed up by saying that if a candidate bases his campaign on words, they should be his own.

"There is no doubt that you are a passionate³, eloquent⁴ speaker and I applaud you for that, but when you look at what we face in this country. We do need to unite the country, but we have to unite it for a purpose around very specific goals," she said.

In the sharpest attack in the debate, Clinton said that Obama's message was not "change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox⁵" -- a reference to a well-known photo copy machine. The line fell flat, however, and drew boos from the audience.

In another exchange, the two candidates sparred over who would be the most ready to assume the position of commander in chief.

Clinton emphasized her experience over the past seven years in the senate and cited an Obama supporter who had trouble coming up with a single accomplishment⁶ by the Illinois senator.

Obama said he believed he was ready to take on the responsibilities of the presidency⁷ and he noted⁸ that every major newspaper in Texas has endorsed⁹ him. In response to a question on how he would confront the probable Republican nominee¹⁰, Senator John McCain, a decorated war veteran, Obama noted that McCain had supported the war in Iraq, while he, Obama, had opposed it.

"It is going to be much easier for the candidate who was opposed to the concept of invading Iraq in the first place to have a debate about the wisdom of that decision than to have to argue about the tactics used subsequent to that decision," he said.

Asked about her criticism of the U.S. military surge in Iraq, Clinton said achieving progress by adding more U.S. troops is not the result the United States should be seeking.

"Upon taking office, I would ask the Secretary of Defense¹¹ and the Joints¹² Chief of Staff and my security advisors¹³ to give me a plan so that I could begin withdrawing our troops within 60 days," she said.

One of the best moments for both candidates came at the end when they were asked to describe a crisis they had faced. Obama spoke¹⁴ of being raised by a single mother and overcoming challenges as a youth. Clinton said the crises she has faced are well known, but that these were nothing compared to the difficulties faced by soldiers who have been maimed in combat overseas and the problems faced by workers, homeowners and people in need of health insurance.

Clinton once held a large lead here in Texas and in Ohio, the other large state which holds its primary on March 4, but Obama has won the last 19 contests in a row and has now pulled even with her in the polls. Analysts¹⁵ agree that Clinton needs wins in both states in order to remain viable¹⁶, whereas Obama only needs to maintain his momentum¹⁷ to stay in the lead.

1 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

2 plagiarized   

v.剽窃，抄袭( plagiarize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The poem employs as its first lines a verse plagiarized from a billboard. 这首诗开头的几行抄袭了一个广告牌上的一节诗。 来自辞典例句
• Whole passages of the work are plagiarized. 那作品整段整段都是剽窃的。 来自辞典例句

3 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

4 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

5 xerox   

n./v.施乐复印机，静电复印

参考例句：

• Xerox and Lucent are two more high-tech companies run by women.施乐和朗讯是另外两家由女性经营的大科技公司。
• You cannot take it home,but you can xerox it.你不能把它带回家，但可以复印。

6 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

7 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。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

13 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

17 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。