VOA标准英语2012--NH Voters Want Improved Economy

NH Voters Want Improved Economy

Americans are apt to vote when they want change. Republicans are counting on that in this year's election to unseat President Barack Obama. The nation's first primary voting takes place in New Hampshire on Tuesday, that's where the economy is motivating voters.

Betsy St. George owns the quaint¹ St. George's Cafe in a tiny New Hampshire town. "I didn't go to cooking school, I went to the school of life," she said.

But tough economic times are cutting into her profits. "I haven't been able to pay myself for the last few years. I work 80 hours a week, seven days a week. But I love it. It's a good job," she said.

On Tuesday, St. George will join other New Hampshire residents to vote for a presidential nominee².

The candidates spend a lot of time here, because it's the first in a series of state primaries that choose a Republican Party nominee to run against President Barack Obama in November.

St. George's husband, Dave, an electrician, is out of work. He's unsure whom he'll vote for on Tuesday. "I want to see change. I want to see jobs. I want the country to take the lead again," he said.

Forty minutes away, in New Hampshire's biggest city Manchester, the high tech firm Auto³ Desk is thriving. Auto Desk moved into an old textile mill from America's past, but its software programs are all about the future.

As New Hampshire's top rated company to work for, Auto Desk employees develop 3D movies to show what projects will look like when completed - they are the 21st century real-time version of blueprints⁴. Like this advanced animation⁵ of a California road near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Terry Bennett says public works projects like these produce jobs. "These issues that we have in New Hampshire, whether it's water systems, sewer⁶ systems, better roads is a problem that occurs everywhere," he said.

Jim Lynch is a vice⁷ president at Auto Desk. He knows what he wants in the nation's president. “Getting the country back to work is first and foremost," he said.

And jobs are clearly a focus for the candidates.

It's clear New Hampshire voters are most concerned about the economy. What they have to figure out now is which Republican candidate can best deal with it.

1 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

2 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。

3 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

4 blueprints   

n.蓝图，设计图( blueprint的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Have the blueprints been worked out? 蓝图搞好了吗？ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• BluePrints description of a distributed component of the system design and best practice guidelines. BluePrints描述了一个分布式组件体系的最佳练习和设计指导方针。 来自互联网

5 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

6 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

7 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。