VOA标准英语2012--Republican Field Tightens on Eve of Key S. Carolina Primary

Republican Field Tightens¹ on Eve of Key S. Carolina Primary

The four remaining Republican White House contenders met for another debate in South Carolina late Thursday. While they argued over jobs, health care and leadership, the focus was on personal allegations concerning former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich denied an allegation made by one of his two ex-wives, Marianne Gingrich, who said he once asked her to accept the fact that he was involved with a woman staff member even though he was still married to her.
“I said to him, ‘Newt, we’ve been married a long time’. And he said, ‘yes, but you want me all to yourself. Callista doesn’t care what I do.’ He was asking to have an open marriage and I refused,” she told ABC’s Nightline program.
Gingrich eventually divorced Marianne and married the woman he was involved with, Callista Bisek, and she now campaigns with him.
Republican presidential candidates, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt³ Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich denied the allegation and responded angrily when CNN moderator John King raised the issue at the beginning of Thursday’s debate.
“I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country," Gingrich replied, "harder to attract decent people to run for public office, and I am appalled⁴ that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.”
Later in the debate Gingrich said it was imperative⁵ that Republicans defeat President Barack Obama in November, calling him “the most dangerous president of our lifetime.”
Recent polls show Gingrich is gaining ground on the frontrunner for the Republican nomination⁶, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Romney did not directly address Gingrich’s personal issues in the debate and kept his focus instead on President Obama’s record on the economy.
“Our president said, I think in a very revealing way, that he wants to fundamentally transform America. He’s wrong," Romney said. "We need to restore the values that made America the hope of the earth, and I understand those values.”
Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and Texas Congressman⁷ Ron Paul also took part in the debate.
Santorum got some good news earlier when it was announced that he actually won the most votes in the Iowa caucuses⁸ on January 3, surpassing Mitt Romney’s vote total by 34 votes.
Santorum was critical of both Romney and Gingrich in Thursday’s debate and said he was the best conservative candidate to take on the president in November.
“I would make the argument that a conviction conservative who has a clear contrast with President Obama on the most important issues of the day is the best person,” Santorum said.
Gingrich got a boost earlier in the day when Texas Governor Rick Perry quit the race and endorsed⁹ him over the other contenders.
“I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country," Perry said. "We have had our differences, which campaigns will inevitably¹⁰ have. And Newt is not perfect, but who among is?”
Analysts¹¹ say all the upheaval¹² in the Republican race on the eve of the South Carolina primary has made the outcome difficult to predict. Gingrich has been surging in the polls after Romney had an early lead. But the question is whether the revelations from Gingrich’s ex-wife will hurt him with religious and social conservative voters who make up a large percentage of South Carolina's Republican electorate¹³.
South Carolina has a strong record in picking eventual² Republican Party nominees¹⁴. Since 1980, the winner of the South Carolina primary has always gone on to win the Republican nomination for president.

1 tightens   

收紧( tighten的第三人称单数 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• One set of provisions tightens emission standards. 一套使排放标准更加严格的规定。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Requires no special tools or fittings; hand tightens to relief valve outlet. 不需要专用工具或管件；用手将其紧固到安全阀上即可。

2 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

3 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。

4 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 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。

8 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

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

13 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

14 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网