VOA标准英语2008年-Clinton, Obama Campaign in Indiana, North Carol

By Kent Klein
Washington
04 May 2008

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are seeking crucial votes in Indiana and North Carolina, where primary elections will be held Tuesday. Meanwhile, Democrats¹ in the in the small Pacific island territory of Guam made their choice between the two candidates in Saturday's party caucuses². VOA's Kent Klein reports from Washington.

Public opinion polls show that Barack Obama's once-significant lead over Hillary Clinton in the Southern state of North Carolina has dwindled³ in the past few days. Obama spent part of the past week criticizing his former church pastor⁴, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who had made a series of controversial comments that considered harmful to Obama's campaign.

Obama and Clinton criticized each other Saturday over their proposals for fighting rising gasoline prices. Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee⁵, John McCain, want to suspend federal taxes on gasoline this summer.

In Gastonia, North Carolina, Clinton attacked Obama for opposing her plan. "I understand my opponent disagrees with me. He does not want to give you a gas holiday. He does not want to go after the oil companies. He would not vote against them with the 2005 Dick Cheney energy bill, and I did," she said.

Before becoming U.S. Vice⁶ President, Dick Cheney had been an officer for the Halliburton oilfield technology company.

Obama campaigned in the Central state of Indiana, where polls show a very close race. In the state capital, Indianapolis, he charged that Clinton's proposal to lift the gas tax is an election-year gimmick⁷, and that she is allied⁸ with the oil companies. "Senator Clinton had to send out a surrogate to speak on behalf of this plan, and all she could find was, get this, a lobbyist for Shell Oil, to explain how this was going to be good for consumers. It is a Shell game," he said.

The western Pacific island of Guam held Democratic Party caucuses on Saturday. Its residents cannot vote in the presidential election in November, but the tiny U.S. territory will send four delegates to the party convention. Neither candidate campaigned there.

As the primary election season nears its end, Obama leads in overall pledged delegates, the popular vote and the number of states won. But both he and Clinton need the support of superdelegates to clinch⁹ their party's nomination¹⁰.

Superdelegates are Democratic Party officials and elected office holders¹¹ who will be allowed to vote at the party convention.

1 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》

2 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

3 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

5 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。

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 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

8 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

9 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

10 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。

11 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。