VOA标准英语2012--Republican Candidates Make Final Push in Iowa

Republican Candidates Make Final Push in Iowa

Republican voters in Iowa will kick off the 2012 U.S. presidential election campaign Tuesday with caucus¹ voting, the first step in choosing a candidate to run against President Barack Obama next November. The campaigning in Iowa among six Republican contenders is intense in advance of Tuesday’s vote.

It’s the final push for votes in Iowa and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum is surging in the polls.

At an event for Santorum in a restaurant drew an overflow² crowd that braved the cold and hordes³ of journalists from around the world. “If you are looking for someone you can trust, someone who's authentic⁴. Then I’ll put myself out there. I know you aren't going to agree with me on everything. What you do know is I'll say what I believe and do what I say,” he said.

Don Todd will vote on Tuesday. He’s leaning toward Santorum. “Just someone with more basic American values than what the Democratic Party has turned into. That’s what this Iowan is thinking and a lot of the people that I know,” Todd said.

Marty Miller⁵ came all the way from Florida to follow the candidates around Iowa. “Somebody that can turn this country around and get us back where we belong, where everybody is proud of our country,” Miller said.

Santorum is trying to catch former Massachusetts governor Mitt⁶ Romney, who’s leading in the polls.

“Get out and vote, vote, vote! Get your friends to go to the caucuses⁷!,” Romney said at one campaign stop.

Texas Congressman⁸ Ron Paul, running second at the moment, also fired up supporters at a rally in downtown Des Moines. “The enthusiasm is growing by leaps and bounds and bounds. The crowds are getting bigger,” Paul said.

Support for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been sliding, but he’s still hoping for a last minute surge.

"Look, I think this is a volatile⁹ environment, where people are going to walk in, undecided or semi-decided, and maybe as many as 50 percent could switch during the course of the caucus," Gingrich said.

Polls show Gingrich may be right and the Iowa caucus race remains¹⁰ unpredictable.

1 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

2 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

3 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 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

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

10 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。