VOA标准英语2012--Polls Show Romney Leading Gingrich in Crucial Florida Primary Showdown

Polls Show Romney Leading Gingrich in Crucial Florida Primary Showdown

The latest polls show Mitt¹ Romney with a big lead in Florida, and the former Massachusetts governor is focusing his attacks on President Barack Obama. “People are hurting out there and you know what? This president needs to connect with the American people and understand just how tough things are. And I will tell the American people the truth and the fact that he has not made things better, he has made them worse," he said.
Romney is even getting help from the man who beat him four years ago, Arizona Senator John McCain. “He believes that businesses create jobs, not like Obama who believes that government creates jobs," he said.
Romney supporters, like Aleshia George, are ready to deliver their votes in Florida in Tuesday’s primary. “I think he has got the intelligence, the economy background, the business background and just common sense approach that we are missing in Washington.”
Romney’s main competitor remains² Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich is carrying on despite bad poll numbers and small crowds like this one at a church in a Hispanic suburb of Orlando. “I have a very simple case. We nominated a moderate in 1996 and we lost. We nominated a moderate in 2008 and we lost. I believe only a solid conservative can debate Barack Obama and win," he said.
Gingrich retains loyal conservative supporters like Nancy Acevedo. “He is a very strong character. He has his own way of doing things. But what you see is what you get," she said.
Gingrich got a boost with the endorsement³ of former rival Herman Cain.
But in Orlando, Quinnipiac University pollster Peter Brown says the Florida race favors Romney. “I think Republican voters in Florida are looking for the same thing they are looking for in other states. They are looking for someone whose views and values they share who they think can beat Barack Obama," he said.
That issue of electability was crucial for two Republicans who took advantage of Florida’s early voting law, Brandon and Michelle Crossland. “I am hoping that people like us understand electability and that at the end of the day the top priority is to get Obama out of office," said Michelle.
Pollster Peter Brown says Florida is shaping up as the key test so far in the Republican race. “For Romney and Gingrich, Florida is almost the whole ballgame. If Romney wins in Florida, it is going to be hard to deny him the Republican nomination⁴," he said.
And so for now, on the eve of the Florida primary, the polls and momentum⁵ appear to favor Mitt Romney in what has been at times a chaotic⁶ and unpredictable battle for the Republican nomination.

1 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。

2 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。

3 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

4 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。

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 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。