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(单词翻译)

VOICE ONE:

This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. Today, we tell about the presidential election of two thousand four. 

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
President Bush and Vice1 President Dick Cheney at the 2004 Republican National Convention
Every four years, American political parties nominate their candidates for president and vice president.   In the summer of two thousand four, Republican Party delegates chose George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for a second four years in office.

During President Bush's first term, Islamic terrorists attacked the United States.  Almost three thousand people died in strikes against New York City and Washington, D.C., on September eleventh, two thousand one.  President Bush declared a war on terror and led the nation into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.                                                             

After the terrorist attacks, Mister Bush enjoyed record popularity.  Public opinion studies showed that almost ninety percent of the American public approved of the way the president was doing his job.

But this rating decreased over time.  One public opinion study organization said the president’s average approval rating for two thousand four was fifty percent.

(MUSIC)                                     

VOICE TWO:

Before a presidential election, candidates compete in state nominating meetings and elections. The person winning the most votes in these caucuses2 and primaries traditionally wins the party’s nomination3 for president.

In two thousand three, ten people were campaigning for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Among the candidates was John Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts. Another was Howard Dean, a doctor and former governor of the state of Vermont.  Another was John Edwards, a lawyer and first-term senator from North Carolina. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut also was running.  Senator Lieberman had been the vice presidential candidate in the election of two thousand.

Another senator and a former senator were also seeking the nomination. So were two representatives in Congress, a former general and an African American civil rights activist4.

Former Vice President Al Gore5 was not among the candidates.  He had lost the extremely close, disputed election of two thousand to George W. Bush.  Mister Gore said he would not be a candidate in two thousand four.

VOICE ONE:

Many people thought Howard Dean would win the Democratic nomination.  Doctor Dean actively6 opposed the war in Iraq.  He won praise for the way he raised money for his campaign.  Supporters gave him millions of dollars in small gifts through the Internet.

Then came the Iowa caucuses, the first step in the presidential nominating process, in January of two thousand four. John Kerry won with a strong thirty-eight percent of the state's delegates.  Senator Edwards finished second with thirty-two percent.  Doctor Dean finished third with only eighteen percent.

VOICE TWO:

Senator Kerry continued to gain support in the state primary elections. Several candidates withdrew from the campaign, including Howard Dean.  Senator Edwards withdrew in early March.  He did so after Senator Kerry won victories in nine state caucuses and primary elections that were held on the same day, called Super Tuesday. John Kerry named John Edwards as his choice for vice president.  Senator Kerry officially received the Democratic Party nomination for president at the party's convention in Boston, Massachusetts.

The combination balanced the Democratic ticket in several ways. Senator Kerry was considered a liberal.  He came from the Northeast.  Senator Edwards was considered more moderate.  He came from the South.  Senator Kerry was Roman Catholic.  Senator Edwards was Protestant.   

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

John Kerry was born in Colorado in nineteen forty-three.  Like Mister Bush, he graduated from Yale University.  He joined the United States Navy.  Mister Kerry was wounded and won honors for his service in the Vietnam War.  He criticized the war after leaving the military.  John Kerry graduated from the Boston College law school in nineteen seventy-six.  He became a lawyer for the Massachusetts state government.

Then he served two years as lieutenant7 governor of the state.  He was first elected to the Senate in nineteen eighty-four. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is head of a family foundation that gives money to important causes.

VOICE TWO:

 
President Bush and Senator John Kerry at the first of their three presidential debates in 2004
The presidential candidates debated three times on national television.  They campaigned hard across the country.  Foreign policy was the major issue during the campaign.  Mister Bush centered his campaign on national security.  He said he was the best candidate to keep America safe from terrorists.  He said Americans could trust him to be strong against terrorism. He presented himself as a decisive leader. He charged that Senator Kerry had changed positions on issues and would be unsure in the face of danger.

In two thousand two, Mister Kerry had voted to give President Bush the power to use force against Iraq.  But the senator now criticized the way the Iraqi conflict was being fought.  By the fall of two thousand four, more than one thousand Americans had died in Iraq since the war started in March, two thousand three.  Thousands of Iraqi civilians8 had also been killed.  Mister Kerry talked about the war in Iraq:  

JOHN KERRY: “You’ve got to be able to look in the eyes of families and say to those parents, ‘I tried to do everything in my power to prevent the loss of your son and daughter.‿I don’t believe the United States did that." 

VOICE ONE:

Senator Kerry said his goal for the United States was "stronger at home, respected in the world."  He believed that the United States had lost respect from many of its allies because of Mister Bush's foreign policy in Iraq. 

President Bush defended American actions in Iraq.  He said the war was needed to fight terrorism.  The President also expressed great satisfaction that Iraqis were free of a cruel dictator.  

VOICE TWO:

Mister Kerry said the United States should be recovering faster from a weak economy. The economy had slowed before George W. Bush became president.  It got worse after the terrorist attacks in two thousand one.  Mister Kerry denounced the growth of the national debt under Mister Bush’s leadership.  President Bush praised his administration’s actions in difficult economic times:

PRESIDENT BUSH: “Six months prior to my arrival, the stock market started to go down. And it was one of the largest declines in our history. And then we had a recession and we got attacked, which cost us one million jobs. But we acted. I led the Congress. We passed tax relief. And now this economy is growing. We added one point nine million new jobs over the last thirteen months.‿

VOICE ONE:

President Bush proposed a plan for young workers to place some of the taxes on their pay in private retirement9 accounts.  John Kerry opposed this idea.  Mister Bush opposed most operations to end unwanted pregnancies10.  Mister Kerry supported a woman’s right to have an abortion11.  His position disagreed with the Roman Catholic religion's position on this issue.

VOICE TWO:

Early in the election campaign, an organization known as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was established to oppose John Kerry's candidacy.  The group was led by a veteran who, like Mister Kerry, fought in the Vietnam War.  The group argued that Mister Kerry was unfit to serve as president because of some statements he made about his military service and his past activism in the anti-Vietnam war movement. The group even questioned the combat medals awarded to Mister Kerry. 

Other Vietnam veterans, including several who had served with Mister Kerry, denounced the charges against him as completely false.  Many people believed the  accusations12 and the Kerry campaign's delay in answering them had an important effect on the results of the election.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Americans voted on November second, two thousand four. As in the election of two thousand, there were questions about voting problems during and after the election.

The vote was especially close in the state of Ohio. Kerry supporters said there were problems with voting machines.  They also said many people were illegally prevented from voting.  The state had enough electoral votes to decide the winner of the presidential election.

But the day after the election, Senator Kerry decided13 not to dispute Mister Bush's win in Ohio. The final results showed that President Bush won about fifty-one percent of the national popular vote to about forty-eight percent for John Kerry.

George W. Bush would serve four more years as president of the United States. 

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program, THE MAKING OF A NATION, was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Jill Moss14.  This is Steve Ember.                                  

VOICE ONE:

And this is Faith Lapidus.  Listen again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. 


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vice NU0zQ     
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。
2 caucuses d49ca95184fa2aef8e2ee3b613a6f7dd     
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
3 nomination BHMxw     
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。
4 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
5 gore gevzd     
n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶
参考例句:
  • The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
  • Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。
6 actively lzezni     
adv.积极地,勤奋地
参考例句:
  • During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
  • We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。
7 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
8 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
参考例句:
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
9 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
10 pregnancies 2fedeb45162c233ee9e28d81888a2d2c     
怀孕,妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象,战时人口正该补充。
  • She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。
11 abortion ZzjzxH     
n.流产,堕胎
参考例句:
  • She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
  • A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。
12 accusations 3e7158a2ffc2cb3d02e77822c38c959b     
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名
参考例句:
  • There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
  • He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。
13 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
14 moss X6QzA     
n.苔,藓,地衣
参考例句:
  • Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
  • He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

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