CNN 2010-01-22

And since yesterday was the third Monday in January, it was also Martin Luther King Day. For a lot of people, it's a day on, not a day off; a time to give back to their communities. Folks took part in hundreds of service projects across the U.S., from repainting schools to serving food at soup kitchens. People also donated time to charities that are focused on the needs of the earthquake victims in Haiti. Of course, the holiday also honors the man it's named after. And in his hometown of Atlanta, relatives laid a wreath at the tomb of Dr. King. Later in the day, a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the civil rights leader had served as pastor², paid tribute to his life and legacy³.

 

All right, to politics: A special election is happening today in the state of Massachusetts. This race is going to fill the U.S. Senate seat that was left open when Senator Ted¹ Kennedy passed away last August, and the result could affect the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. It has been nearly four decades since Massachusetts elected a Republican to the Senate. That streak⁴ may be about to end. Jim Acosta explains why.

Facing a volcano of voter anger, President Obama dashed off to Boston to prevent a Massachusetts meltdown. How important is Tuesday's election here?

 

If you were fired up in the last elections, I need you more fired up in this election.

 

So important, the president parachuted into this campaign rally on the first lady's birthday.

 

"--Happy birthday to you..."

 

Where we don't want to go right now is backwards⁵, to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.

 

Mr. Obama was out to rescue Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who polls show could actually do the unthinkable for Democrats⁶ and lose Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Kennedy's widow is on hand to support Coakley, who concedes the nation's top issue, the economy, is not on her side.

 

People deserve to be angry, but we can't let that anger get in the way of remembering where it came from.

 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

5 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》