VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Prepares to Accept Nobel Peace P

Less than a year after he took office, U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to go to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. He says he is humbled¹ by the award and not sure he has done enough to warrant such a high honor. A new public opinion poll in the United States shows a solid majority of Americans agree.

Paula Wolfson | White House 08 December 2009

President Barack Obama reacting to his Nobel Peace Prize

Less than a year after he took office, U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to go to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.  He says he is humbled by the award and not sure he has done enough to warrant such a high honor.  A new public opinion poll in the United States shows a solid majority of Americans agree.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided² that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama," said Thorbjoern Jagland, Chairman of the Nobel Committee.

Thorbjoern Jagland, Chairman of the Nobel Committee

The choice for the 2009 Peace Prize took the world by surprise. Even the president was stunned³.

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize," said President Obama.

A new poll shows Americans overwhelmingly agree.

"26 percent of Americans think that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, obviously not a very large number," said Peter Brown.

Thorbjoern Jagland, Chairman of the Nobel Committee

Peter Brown is director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, which surveyed roughly 2,300 Americans about the Nobel Prize. He says only 49 percent of Democrats⁴, the president's own party, support the prize.

"Eight percent of Republicans think he deserves the award - that's a fairly  low number," he said. "And, interestingly, 19 percent of independents think he deserves the award.  Clearly, Democrats to a much larger degree than anyone else, but still, not even a majority of Democrats think he deserves the award."

Those views are expressed on the streets of America.

In New York...

"Gandhi struggled and fought and had hunger strikes for years and then he won the Nobel Prize.  I think maybe they should have waited a little bit," said Isaac Bonilla.

"This is a signal to the United States by the rest of the world that we did something very right in the election of Barack," said David Imig.

And in Chicago...

"As much as I like Barack Obama, I just don't know that he has done enough to warrant such an honor," said Ed Staub.

The president has admitted as much. He says sometimes the Nobel Prize is awarded not to honor specific achievement, but to give momentum⁵ to a set of causes.

"And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century," said Mr. Obama.

The White House says Mr. Obama's Nobel lecture in Oslo will build on those themes.  But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the president also will talk about the reality of being a Nobel peace laureate who is leading a nation at war.

"We'll address directly the notion, I think, that many have wondered [about], which is the juxtaposition⁶ of the timing⁷ for the Nobel Peace Prize and his commitment to add more troops into Afghanistan," said Robert Gibbs.

The war weighs on President Obama as he joins the distinguished⁸ ranks of Nobel Peace Prize recipients⁹ - men and women such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Aung San Suu Kyi.  He acknowledges his accomplishments¹⁰ pale by comparison, and suggests his award may be more about the notion of hope.

 

1 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

4 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》

5 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。

6 juxtaposition   

n.毗邻，并置，并列

参考例句：

• The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling.这两句话连在一起使人听了震惊。
• It is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting colors.这是并列对比色的结果。

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

9 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 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》