(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Today, we tell about the presidential election of two thousand four. 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. Before a presidential election, candidates compete in state nominating meetings and elections. The person winning the most votes in these caucuses and primaries traditionally wins the party's nomination 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 activist. Former Vice President Al Gore 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. Many people thought Howard Dean would win the Democratic nomination. Doctor Dean actively 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. 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. 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 lieutenant 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. 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 civilians had also been killed. Mister Kerry talked about the war in Iraq:"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."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. 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."President Bush proposed a plan for young workers to place some of the taxes on their pay in private retirement accounts. John Kerry opposed this idea. Mister Bush opposed most operations to end unwanted pregnancies. Mister Kerry supported a woman's right to have an abortion. His position disagreed with the Roman Catholic religion's position on this issue. 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 accusations and the Kerry campaign's delay in answering them had an important effect on the results of the election. 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 decided 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.
重点解析
1.serve with 向……提供
Following the marriage, the couple will live in north Wales, where Prince William will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force.
婚礼之后，这对新人将会住在威尔斯北部，威廉王子会继续在皇家空军军队服役。
2.Vietnam War 越南战争
Indeed, these people have been largely cut off from the outside world since the Vietnam War.
事实上，越南战争之后，这群人已经被严重地和外面的世界隔离开。
3.fight terrorism 打击恐怖主义
We stand together to fight terrorism.
我们站在一起打击恐怖主义。
4.Super Tuesday 超级星期二
But the big horse-race message out of Super Tuesday is that demography is destiny.
不过这场超级星期二的大拉力赛带来的讯息却是人口决定命运。
5.known as 被认为是
He told them that in our area, we are known as a refuge; we treat all victims of the conflict equally, no matter what side they’re on.
他告诉他们，我们这个地区的人都知道这里是一个避难所；我们对所有的冲突的受害者一视同仁，不论他们属于哪一方。
参考译文
今天，我们为您讲述2004年的总统选举。每隔四年，美国政党就提名一次总统和副总统候选人。2004年夏天，共和党代表选择乔治·w·布什和迪克·切尼连任。布什担任总统的第一个任期内，伊斯兰恐怖分子袭击了美国。2001年9月11日，将近3000人在纽约市和华盛顿特区的罢工中丧生。布什总统向恐怖分子宣战，并在阿富汗和伊拉克发动了战争。恐怖袭击后，布什声望大增。民意调查显示，近90%的美国公众支持总统。但随着时间的推移，支持率逐渐下降。民意调查组织表示，2004年，总统的平均支持率是50%。选举前，总统候选人在州提名会议和选举中竞争。在党内预选和初选中得票最多的人通常会赢得党内总统候选人提名。2003年，有10人参加了民主党总统候选人的竞选。候选人包括来自马萨诸塞州的参议员约翰·克里。另一位是霍华德·迪恩，他是一名医生，曾任佛蒙特州州长。还有一位是约翰·爱德华兹，他是一名律师，也是北卡罗来纳州的第一任参议员。康涅狄格州参议员——约瑟夫·利伯曼也参加了竞选。利伯曼是2000年总统大选的副总统候选人。另一位参议员和前参议员也在角逐候选人提名。两名国会代表——前将军和非裔美国民权活动家，也加入了提名之争，前副总统戈尔不在候选人之列。
戈尔已经失去了2000年备受争议的大选中与乔治·w·布什势均力敌的机会。戈尔表示自己不会成为2004年的总统候选人。许多人认为霍华德·迪安会赢得民主党提名。迪安医生积极反对伊拉克战争，他因为竞选的筹款方式饱受赞誉。支持者通过互联网给了他数百万美元的小礼物。然后是爱荷华州预选会议，这是2004年1月总统提名的第一步。约翰·克里以38%的州代表的优势获胜。爱德华兹参议员以32%的得票率位居第二，迪恩医生以18%的得票率名列第三。克里参议员继续在州初选中赢得支持。包括霍华德·迪恩在内的几名候选人退出了竞选。3月初，爱德华兹参议员退出竞选。克里参议员赢得9个州的党团会议和在同一天（被称为“超级星期二”）举行的初选后，爱德华兹就退出了。约翰·克里提名约翰·爱德华兹为副总统候选人。参议员克里在马萨诸塞州波士顿的共和党大会上正式获得民主党总统候选人提名。这种组合以几种方式平衡了民主党的选票。参议员克里被认为是自由派，来自东北。参议员爱德华兹被认为是温和派，来自南方。参议员克里是罗马天主教徒，爱德华兹参议员是新教徒。1943年，约翰·克里出生于科罗拉多州，他和布什一样毕业于耶鲁大学。克里加入美国海军，在越南战争中负了伤，并因在战争中服役而获得荣誉。离开军队后克里批评了越南战争。
1976年，约翰·克里从波士顿学院法学院毕业，成为马萨诸塞州政府的一名律师。然后担任了两年的副州长，1984年第一次当选为参议员。他的妻子特雷莎·海因茨·克里是家庭基金会的负责人，该基金会为重要事业提供资金。总统候选人在全国电视上辩论了三次，在全国各地大力竞选。竞选期间外交政策是主要议题，竞选活动上布什把目光集中在国家安全问题上。布什表示自己是保护美国免受恐怖分子袭击的最佳人选，他表示国人可以信任他会坚决打击恐怖主义。布什以果断自居，他指责克里参议员在一些问题上立场不够坚定，在面临危险时犹豫不决。2002年，克里投票赋予布什总统对伊拉克使用武力的权力。但是现在，克里批评布什对待伊拉克冲突的方式。到2004年秋天，自2003年3月伊拉克战争开始以来，已有1000多名美国人在伊拉克战争中丧生。数千名伊拉克平民也被杀害，克里这样谈到伊拉克战争：“你必须看着家人的眼睛，对他们的父母说，‘我尽我所能不让你失去儿子和女儿。’我不相信美国那样做了。”克里参议员表示，他的目标是“让美国更强大，在世界上更受尊重”。他认为，由于伊拉克战争，美国失去了许多盟国的尊重。布什总统为美国在伊拉克的行动辩护，他说，打击恐怖主义需要这场战争。总统还对于伊拉克人民摆脱了残酷的独裁者表示极大的满意。克里表示，美国应该更快地从疲软的经济中复苏。在乔治·w·布什就任总统之前，美国的经济就已经放缓。
2001年的恐怖袭击之后情况变得更糟。克里谴责布什领导下的美国债务增长。布什总统赞扬了在经济困难时期他所在政府的行动：“在我上任的前六个月，股市开始下跌。这是美国历史上最大的衰退之一。然后我们经历了经济衰退，受到了袭击，损失了100万个工作岗位。但是我们采取行动，通过了减税措施，我领导国会，现在经济正在复苏。在过去的13个月里，我们增加了190万个工作岗位。”布什总统提出了一项计划，让年轻工人将其部分工资税存入私人退休账户。约翰·克里反对该计划，布什反对大多数终止意外怀孕的手术。克里支持妇女堕胎的权利，在这个问题上，其立场与罗马天主教的立场不一致。竞选初期，为了反对约翰·克里的候选资格，成立了一个名为“说出真相的快艇老兵”的组织。该组织由一名退伍军人带领，这名军人和克里一样参加过越南战争。
该组织认为，克里因其发表的关于服役的声明以及过去在反越南战争运动中的激进主义不适合担任总统。该组织甚至质疑授予克里战斗勋章。其他越战退伍军人，包括几名曾与克里共事过的老兵，谴责对克里的指控完全错误。许多人认为，这些指控以及克里竞选团队迟迟没有回应，对选举结果产生了重要影响2004年11月2日，投票选举开始。和2000年的选举一样，选举期间和选举之后都存在选举问题。俄亥俄州的投票结果尤其接近，克里的支持者说，投票机存在问题。他们还表示，许多人被非法阻止投票。这个州有足够多的选举人票，能决定总统选举的获胜者。但是选举的第二天，克里参议员决定不再质疑布什在俄亥俄州的胜利。最终结果显示，全国普选中布什总统赢得了51%的选票，约翰·克里赢得了48%的选票。乔治·w·布什将再任职四年美国总统。
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