VOA标准英语2009年-Bush Reflects as Nation Prepares to Welcome Oba

Presidential transitions always present the opportunity to reflect on the past and look toward the future, often at the same time. That is the case this week in Washington as preparations continue for Tuesday's inauguration¹ of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president, and the end of President George W. Bush's eight years in office.
　
President George W. Bush delivers his farewell address to the nation, from the East Room of the White House, 15 Jan. 2009

George W. Bush sounded wistful as he gave his farewell television address to the American people.

Mr. Bush highlighted his efforts to keep the nation safe from terrorism following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

But in the wake of his decision to go to war in Iraq and his administration's handling of the devastation² from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Mr. Bush acknowledged that some of his actions had divided the country.

"I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right," he said. "You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

During his presidency³, Mr. Bush never liked questions about his place in history. But as the 43rd U.S. president prepares to give way to the 44th, he has spoken about his disappointments, his accomplishments⁴ and his critics.

"I never really spent that much time, frankly⁵, worrying about the loud voices," he said. "I of course hear them. But they did not affect my policy, nor did it affect how I made decisions."

And as he prepares to leave the White House, Mr. Bush has some advice for the man who is preparing to succeed him.

"President-elect Obama will find this too. He'll get in the Oval Office and there will be a lot of people that are real critical and harsh," he said. "And he'll be disappointed at times by the tone of the rhetoric⁶. And he's going to have to do what he thinks is right."

As Mr. Bush reflects on his eight years in office, Barack Obama is squarely focused on the future.
　
President-elect Barack Obama, right, talks with the Washington Post editorial board in Washington, DC, 15 Jan. 2009

The incoming president faces no shortage of difficult challenges, from the economy, which is now in recession and loosing millions of jobs, to the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and now the Middle East.

Mr. Obama told ABC's This Week program he has been looking at past inaugural⁷ addresses by past presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt as he prepares to speak to Americans for the first time as president after his inauguration on January 20.

"The main task for me in an inauguration speech, and I think this is true for my presidency generally, is to try capture as best I can the moment that we are in," he said. "Then to project confidence that if we take the right measures that we can once again be that beacon⁸ for the world."

Mr. Obama's inauguration carries special significance since he will become the first African American president.

Political experts see Mr. Obama's election as an important new marker in the racial divide that has shaped the United States since the early days of the Republic.
　
A view of the West Front of the Capitol building in Washington, 15 Jan. 2009, where President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn-in on 20 Jan.

"I think this is an incredible moment in history," said Stephen Hess, a political analyst⁹ at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "We have other milestones¹⁰, obviously. John Kennedy was the first Catholic president, and that was very important to the country. But we didn't fight a civil war over religion, we fought it over race."

Mr. Obama takes office at a time when public opinion polls show that Americans have a great appetite for change after eight years of the Bush administration.

That desire for change was a key factor in Mr. Obama's election victory, and experts believe it will remain a driving force in the early months of his administration.

"Ninety percent of Americans today think their country is on the wrong track," said Allan Lichtman, a presidential scholar at American University in Washington. "We have a sour economy. We have wars still raging abroad. America's standing¹¹ around the world has been at a low ebb¹² during the administration of George W. Bush. So, Americans are hungry for change, and if anything, Barack Obama has promised a new beginning, real change in America."

Public opinion polls show Americans are eager to welcome the new president to office and generally approve of his handling of the presidential transition.

But the public also has high expectations of Mr. Obama, particularly on the economy, and it remains¹³ an open question as to how patient the public will be as the new administration tries to reverse the economic downturn.

An Associated Press-Gfk poll found that 71 percent believe the economy will improve during the first year of Mr. Obama's presidency, and that 65 percent of those polled believe he will be either an above-average or outstanding president by the time he leaves office.

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

8 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 ebb   

vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态

参考例句：

• The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。
• They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。

13 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。