VOA标准英语2010年-Ukrainian Presidential Election Marked

Ukrainians vote Sunday in a presidential election fraught¹ with uncertainty² about the candidates, the process, and the result. 

Voters have a choice of 18 hopefuls, none of whom is expected to gain 50 percent of the votes needed to avoid a runoff between the top two candidates.

Former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, humiliated³ by charges of vote rigging in the 2004 election, leads recent public opinion surveys with roughly 33 percent support. 

Current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, has been running in second place and is expected to face Mr. Yanukovych in the runoff.  But she could be edged out by businessman Serhei Tihipko, who surged late in the campaign.

Incumbent⁴ President Viktor Yushchenko has single digit⁵ support.  Mr. Yushchenko, hero of the Orange Revolution that brought him to power, has been widely blamed for Ukraine's economic troubles and failure to rein⁶ in government corruption⁷. 

Charges of vote fraud have swirled⁸ around the election from all sides.  The head of Ukraine's State Security Service, Valentin Nalyvaichenko, has warned of possible attempts to intimidate⁹ voters with false demands to pay a poll tax, to register for military service, or to pay utility bills. 

Authorities also closed a Web site that allegedly offered to buy votes.  And the leading candidates traded charges of cheating.  Ms. Tymoshenko accused Viktor Yanukovich of preparing "monstrous¹⁰" election fraud.  He responded along with President Yushchenko that only she has the means to rig the election.

Mr. Yanukovych says the comment made by Tymoshenko that the Regions' Party is preparing massive fraud betrays the intentions of a guilty mind.  He asks, how can the opposition¹¹ falsify anything, adding that only the authorities are able to do it; they have mechanisms¹² for it.

But the spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Jens Eschenbaecher, told VOA  accusations¹³ of massive fraud appear to be campaign rhetoric¹⁴.

"In many instances these accusations were unsubstantiated," he said. "And the legal remedies that are available, like going to the court, going to the election administration to clarify these accusations have rarely been made use of."

Eschenbaecher says OCSE's long-term observers noted¹⁵ the campaign was relatively¹⁶ calm and provided  candidates with opportunities to campaign freely throughout the country.  He says Ukraine has a diverse media landscape, but notes concerns about biased¹⁷ reporting.

"... depending on who owns a TV station for example, and also the practice of candidates buying coverage¹⁸, basically, in the news." said Eschenbaecher.

The spokesman expresses OCSE's concern about unclear laws regarding the addition of voters to lists on Election Day, including people who may have moved or are unable to go the polls for health reasons.   

While many Ukrainians seem to lack enthusiasm for the candidates, turnout is expected to be high.  Some voters say they do not want their unused vote to be stolen.  Olha, a retiree in Kyiv, acknowledges her support for a minor¹⁹ and poorly funded candidate will make no difference.  But she says she feels a civic²⁰ duty to vote.

Olha says the sense of duty was handed down from the past, because Ukrainians are a law-abiding people.  She adds, "If we have to we have to, but what I do with that vote is for me to decide."

The OSCE is providing about 600 of about 3,000 international observers monitoring Sunday's election.  A number of exit polls are expected to provide an idea of the result soon after polls close.  If needed, a runoff election is scheduled for February 7.

1 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

4 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

5 digit   

n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾

参考例句：

• Her telephone number differs from mine by one digit.她的电话号码和我的只差一个数字。
• Many animals have five digits.许多动物有5趾。

6 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

7 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。

8 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

9 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

10 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

14 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。

15 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。

16 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

17 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

18 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

19 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

20 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。