Unit   Ten

Text A     The Campaign for Election

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一．课文简介：

美国的总统竞选每四年一次，获胜者几乎总是在共和党和民主党两个大党中产生。因为大党的候选人有着本党忠实信徒支持这一关键的优势。总统候选人的活动讲究战略，候选人想尽力突出表现自己强有力的领导者的形象，但选民们是否接受他们则要看外在的因素而不是他们的个人魅力。候选人的策略受很多因素的影响，最重要的因素是在拥有人口最多的州取胜。

Para. 1      The Democratic and the Republican parties play an important role in

American government.

Paras.2 – 6   Strategies the candidates use in the election are various. （停顿）

二．词汇精讲：                 New  Words

（上面兰色标出的词汇分别与下面精讲词汇相链接，点击哪个词就出现那个词的相应解释及用法）

词汇精讲:

1.       election: 选举，选举权

派生词：elect v. 选举

When do the election take place?  选举什么时候举行？

Trade union representatives are chosen by election. 工会代表是通过选举产生的。

2.       vote ：n.. 选举，投票

voter :  n. 选举人，选民，

In some countries women got the vote after World War I. 第一次世界大战以后，在一些国家，妇女赢得了选举权。

We called a meeting in order to take a vote on the issue. 我们召集会议就这一问题进行表决。

The committee voted on the proposal, and accepted it unanimously. 委员会就这一提议进行表决并一致通过。

3.       loyalty：忠诚，忠心

派生词：loyal a. 忠诚的，忠心的

I am convinced of your loyalty to the cause. 我确信你对事业的忠诚。

We all have a loyalty to the company.  我们对公司都很忠心。

Dogs are loyal to their owners. 狗对主人很忠诚。

4.       decline：谢绝，拒绝，下降

I had to decline his invitation because I had another appointment. 我不得不谢绝他的邀请，因为我已另有约会。

His health has notably declined. 他的健康状况明显下降。

His hearing sensitivity declines with age. 他的听觉因年老而衰退。

5.       pursue：追赶，追求

派生词：pursuit n. 追赶

The police pursued the wrong car. 警察追错了一辆汽车。

I don’t want to pursue that question now. 我现在不想继续讨论那个问题。

操练：他已决心攻读硕士研究生。

      He has made up his mind to pursue studies for a master’s degree.

6.       economy: 经济

派生词：economic a. 经济的；economical a. 经济的，节俭的

7.       stir：搅动，激发

The story stirred the boy’s imagination. 这个故事激发了那男孩的想象力。

She was stirring at her coffee. 她在搅动着咖啡。

操练：香港回归在世界各地引起了很大的震动。

      The return of Hong Kong created a great stir in all countries of the world. 

8.       strategy: 策略，战略

派生词：strategist n. 战略家；strategically ad. 战略上地

A competent general is skilled in strategy. 一个称职的将军是善于制定战略的。

By careful strategy, she obtained a considerable pay rise. 在精心策划之后，她获得了大幅度的加薪。

9.       representative： 代表，代表人

派生词：represent v. 代表 ；representation n. 描写，表现，代表

Many representatives of the older generation were there. 老一辈的各类代表都在那里。

Is a questionnaire answered by 500 people truly representative of national opinion?

一份调查问卷有500 人作答，是否能真正代表全国人民的意见？

词组 ：phrases

1         to stand no chance  没有可能，没有希望

He stands no chance of winning the election. 他没有希望在选举中获胜。

to stand a chance  有可能，有希望

He stands a good chance of passing the examination. 他考试及格很有希望。

2          to identify …as: 把… 看成，确认，证明…为

He always identifies himself as one of the commoners.

他总是把自己看成是普通大众的一员。

Do you identify yourself as an optimist or a pessimist? 你把自己看成是乐观主义者还是悲观主义者？

操练：我认为那个被偷的录音机是我的。

      I identified the stolen recorder as mine.

3         impact on: 对…强烈的印象，对…巨大的影响

The book made a great impact on its readers.

这本书对读者产生了很大的影响。

The invention and application of computer exerts a great impact on modern industry.

电脑的发明和应用对现代工业产生了巨大影响。

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三．课文详解

The Campaign for Election

Although presidential elections occur every 4 years, many people feel that they do not have a true understanding of how presidential campaigns operate.

The winner in the November general election is almost certain to be either the Republican or the Democratic nominee.①A minor-party or independent candidate, such as George Wallace in 1968, John Anderson in 1980, or Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996, can draw votes away from the major-party nominees but stands almost no chance of defeating them.②

A major-party nominee has the critical advantage of support from the party faithful. Earlier in the twentieth century, this support was so firm and steady that the victory of the stronger party's candidate was almost a certainty. Warren G. Harding accepted the 1920 Republican nomination at his Ohio home, stayed there throughout most of the campaign, and won a full victory simply because most of the voters of his time were Republicans. ③Party loyalty has declined in recent decades, but more than two-thirds of the nation's voters still identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans, and most of them support their party's presidential candidate. Even Democrat George McGovern, who had the lowest level of party support among recent nominees, was backed in 1972 by nearly 60 percent of his party's voters.

Presidential candidates act strategically. In deciding whether to pursue a course of action, they try to estimate its likely impact on the voters.④ During the 1992 campaign, a sign on the wall of Clinton's headquarters in Little Rock read, "The Economy, Stupid." The slogan was the idea of James Carville, Clinton's chief strategist, and was meant as a reminder to the candidate and the staff to keep the campaign focused on the nation's slow-moving economy, which ultimately was the issue that defeated Bush.⑤ As in 1980, when Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan during tough economic times, the voters were motivated largely by a desire for change.⑥

Candidates try to project a strong leadership image. Whether voters accept this image, however, depends more on external factors than on a candidate's personal characteristics.⑦ In 1991, after the Gulf War, Bush's approval rating reached 91 percent, the highest level recorded since polling began in the 1930s.⑧ A year later,  with the nation's economy in trouble.  Bush's approval rating dropped below 40 percent. ⑨Bush tried to stir images of his strong leadership of the war, but voters remained concerned about the economy. ⑽

The candidates' strategies are shaped by many considerations, including the constitutional provision that each state shall have electoral votes equal in number to its representation in Congress. ⑾ Each state thus gets two electoral votes for its Senate representation and a varying number of electoral votes depending on its House representation. Altogether, there are 538 electoral votes (including three for the District of Columbia, even though it has no voting representatives in Congress). To win the presidency, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes, an electoral majority. ⑿

Candidates are particularly concerned with winning the states which have the largest population,⒀ such as California (with 54 electoral votes), New York (33), Texas (32), Florida (25), Pennsylvania (23), Illinois (22), and Ohio (21). Victory in the eleven largest slates alone would provide an electoral majority, ⒁ and presidential candidates therefore spend most of their time campaigning in those states. Clinton received only 43 percent of the popular vote in 1992, compared with Bush's 38 percent and Perot's 19 percent; but Clinton won in states that gave him an overwhelming 370 electoral votes, compared with 168 for Bush and none for Perot. （老师停顿）

（以下课文详解分别与上面划线部分内容相链接）

课文详解：

1.       此句中，be certain to do sth. 表示“一定会做某事”。

例： He is certain to agree with the plan. 他肯定会同意这个计划的。

 “ either … or” 表示“或者…或者”。此句的意思：“11月大选的获胜者几乎可以肯定不是共和党就是民主党提名的候选人。”

2.       在本句中， “ draw … away from …” 表示“把…从…拉走；吸引开”

例如：The on-going performance outside the classroom drew the students’ attention away from their books.   教室外面正在进行的表演把学生的注意力从书本上吸引开了。

此句意思：“小党派或独立候选人，如1968年的乔治·华莱士、1980年的约翰·安德森，或者1992年和1996年的罗斯.佩罗等，可能会从大党的提名人那里拉走一些选票，但几乎没有人可能战胜他们。”

“ almost no chance of ….” 表示“几乎没有可能”。

3.       这是由三个并列谓语加一个原因状语从句构成的复合句。

4.       在本句中，deciding 是一个动名词作介词in 的宾语；in deciding动名词词组作时间状语，

表示：“在做某事的过程中”

whether to pursue a course of action是一个带疑问词的不定式短语，作动名词deciding 的宾语；表示：“在决定是否遵循某一行动方针时” 。

to estimate its likely impact on the voters 是不定式短语作try 的宾语，其中impact on 是一个名词词组，意为“对…的影响”。全句意思：“在决定是否遵循某一项行动方针时，他们要尽量估计一下该方针对选民可能具有的影响。”

5.       该句是有and 连接两个并列谓语加上一个定语从句构成的复合句。在第二部分谓语中，to the candidate and the staff 和to keep the campaign focused on the nation’s slow-moving economy 都作定语修饰reminder (提醒物)。which 引导的定语从句修饰economy , 属非限制性定语从句，只起补充说明作用。that 引导限制性定语从句，修饰the issue

此句意思：“这一口号是克林顿的总战略家詹姆斯·卡维尔的主意，其用意是想提醒候选人及总部人员始终把竞选的注意力集中在本国缓慢发展的经济上。而这一点正是最终击败布什的问题。”

6  在此句中  as in 1980 是时间状语，as  的意思是“正如”。when Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan during tough economic times 是非限制性定语从句，修饰1980。

7         本句是一个主从复合句， “whether voters accept this image”  是主语从句作主语。

此句意思：“然而选民们是否接受这一形象则更取决于外在因素而不是候选人的个人特征。”

8         句中the highest level recorded since polling began in the 1930s 是percent 的同位语。recorded 是过去分词作后置定语修饰the highest level。此句意思：1991年海湾战争以后，布什的支持率达到91%，这是自20世纪30年代开始民意测验以来的最高记录。

9         句中with the nation's economy in trouble.作伴随状语

 “  with + 名词 + 介词词组/形容词/分词 ”结构常在句中作状语，表示伴随条件或原因等

此句意思：“一年以后，随着国家经济陷入困境，布什的支持率则下降到40%以下。”

举例：        with + 名词+ 动词现在分词

He didn’t take part in the party, with his mother being ill. 因为他妈妈病了，所以他没有参加晚会。

with +名词+动词过去分词

With all the housework done, she went shopping. 干完了所有的家务后，她便去购物。

with + 名词+形容词

With the window open, he fell asleep. 他开着窗户睡着了。

with + 名词+ 介词

  The lecturer walked in with a file under his arm. 演讲者掖下夹着一个文件走了进来。

He went out with no hat on. 他没戴帽子出去了。

10     句中remained是系动词,concerned about the economy 是表语。

11     including the constitutional provision that each state shall have electoral votes equal in number to its representation in Congress. 分词短语作状语，起补充说明的作用。其中that引导的是provision同位语从句，equal in number to its representation in Congress 是形容词短语作后置定语，修饰 votes , 短语的意思是“包括宪法的这一条款：每个州拥有的选票数与它在国会中的代表人数相等。”

12     To win the presidency, 是全句的目的状语，, an electoral majority 是270 votes 的同位语

13      句中which引导的定语从句修饰states, 意为“人口最多的州”

14     句意为：“仅在这11个最大的州获胜就可以获得选举的多数”  事实上，在11个最大州同时获胜几乎是不可能的，因此本句用了虚拟语气 would provide

   alone  是形容词，用于名词或代词后，意为“仅仅，只”

课文译文

美国的竞选运动

虽然总统竞选每4年一次，许多人仍感觉不能真正了解竞选运动究竟是怎么进行的。

11月大选的获胜者几乎可以肯定不是共和党就是民主党提名的候选人。小党派或独立的

候选人，如1968年的乔治·华莱十、1980年的约翰·安德森，或者1992年和1996年的罗斯·