大学英语四六级考试精读荟萃100篇4.docx

1、大学英语四六级考试精读荟萃100篇4索古特英语学习网： 声明：本资料由 索古特英语SOGOOD.CN收集整理，转载请注明出自 Passage Four (It Is Bush)On the 36th day after they had voted, Americans finally learned Wednesday who would be their next president: Governor George W. Bush of Texas.Vice President Al Gore, his last realistic avenue for legal challenge

2、closed by a U. S. Supreme Court decision late Tuesday, planned to end the contest formally in a televised evening speech of perhaps 10 minutes, advisers said.They said that Senator Joseph Lieberman, his vice presidential running mate, would first make brief comments. The men would speak from a cerem

3、onial chamber of the Old Executive office Building, to the west of the White House.The dozens of political workers and lawyers who had helped lead Mr. Gores unprecedented fight to claw a come-from-behind electoral victory in the pivotal state of Florida were thanked Wednesday and asked to stand down

4、.“The vice president has directed the recount committee to suspend activities,” William Daley, the Gore campaign chairman, said in a written statement.Mr. Gore authorized that statement after meeting with his wife, Tipper, and with top advisers including Mr. Daley.He was expected to telephone Mr. Bu

5、sh during the day. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.Yet, at the end of a trying and tumultuous process that had focused world attention on sleepless vote counters across Florida, and on courtrooms form Miami to T

6、allahassee to Atlanta to Washington the Texas governor was set to become the 43d U. S. president.The news of Mr. Gores plans followed the longest and most rancorous dispute over a U. S. presidential election in more than a century, one certain to leave scars in a badly divided country.It was a bitte

7、r ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267the narrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.Mr. Gore was said to be distressed by what he and many Democrati

8、c activists felt was a partisan decision from the nations highest court.The 5-to 4 decision of the Supreme Court held, in essence, that while a vote recount in Florida could be conducted in legal and constitutional fashion, as Mr. Gore had sought, this could not be done by the Dec. 12 deadline for s

9、tates to select their presidential electors.James Baker 3rd, the former secretary of state who represented Mr. Bush in the Florida dispute, issued a short statement after the U. S. high court ruling, saying that the governor was “very pleased and gratified.”Mr. Bush was planning a nationwide speech

10、aimed at trying to begin to heal the countrys deep, aching and varied divisions. He then was expected to meet with congressional leaders, including Democrats. Dick Cheney, Mr. Bushs ruing mate, was meeting with congressmen Wednesday in Washington.When Mr. Bush, who is 54, is sworn into office on Jan

11、.20, he will be only the second son of a president to follow his father to the White House, after John Adams and John Quincy Adams in the early 19th century.Mr. Gore, in his speech, was expected to thank his supporters, defend his hive-week battle as an effort to ensure, as a matter of principle, th

12、at every vote be counted, and call for the nation to join behind the new president. He was described by an aide as “resolved and resigned.”While some constitutional experts had said they believed states could present electors as late as Dec. 18, the U. S. high court made clear that it saw no such le

13、eway.The U.S. high court sent back “for revision” to the Florida court its order allowing recounts but made clear that for all practical purposes the election was over.In its unsigned main opinion, the court declared, “The recount process, in its features here described, is inconsistent with the min

14、imum procedures necessary to protect the fundamental right of each voter.”That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justice charging that the high courts proceedings bore a political taint.Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in an angry dissent:” Although we may nev

15、er know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this years presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nations confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the law.”But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, lega

16、l and constitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseen in more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appeared to be willing at lease provisionally to support.The Bush team welcomed the news with an outward show of rest

17、raint and aplomb. The governors hopes had risen and fallen so many times since Election night, and the legal warriors of each side suffered through so many dramatic reversals, that there was little energy left for celebration.1. The main idea of this passage isA. Bushs victory in presidential electi

18、on bore a political taint.B. The process of the American presidential election.C. The Supreme Court plays a very important part in the presidential election.D. Gore is distressed.2. What does the sentence “as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next step” meanA. Bush hopes Gore to join

19、 his administration.B. Bush hopes Gore to concede defeat and to support him.C. Bush hopes Gore to congraduate him.D. Bush hopes Gore go on fighting with him.3. Why couldnt Mr. Gore win the presidential election after he outpolled Mr. Bush in the popular vote? BecauseA. the American president is deci

20、ded by the supreme courts decision.B. people cant directly elect their president.C. the American president is elected by a slate of presidential electors.D. the people of each state support Mr. Bush.4. What was the result of the 54 decision of the supreme court?A. It was in fact for the vote recount

21、.B. It had nothing to do with the presidential election.C. It decided the fate of the winner.D. It was in essence against the vote recount.5. What did the “turbulent election of 1876” imply?A. The process of presidential election of 2000 was the same as that.B. There were great similarities between

22、the two presidential elections (2000 and 1876).C. It was compared to presidential election of 2000.D. It was given an example.Vocabulary1. avenue 通向成功/获取成功的途径/手段2. running mate 竞选伙伴，如作为总统的竞选伙伴，获胜后为副总统3. pivotal 重要的，枢纽的4. gingerly=carefully 小心翼翼地5. tumultuous 吵闹的，骚动的，激动的6. rancorous 充满仇恨的7. elector 总

23、统选举团成员8. elector college 美国选举总统的选举团9. leeway 风压差，余地10. for all practical purpose 事实上，实际11. fracture 断裂，折断12. taint 污点，败坏，感染13. dissent 不同意，异议14. provisionally 暂时的，临时的15. aplomb 镇静，沉着16. restraint 抑制，克制，谨慎难句译注1. stand down 退出竞争/竞选，辞职，推出法庭。这里指戈尔感谢这些竞争支持者后，就退出竞选。此短语的对立面是stand for 竞选。 Ex: to stand for p

24、arliament 竞选国会议员。2. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.结构简析 profile 外形，轮廓，外观。Low profile 低姿态，不出头露面，不惹人注意。High profile 鲜明的姿态。3. recount committee 重新计算选票委员会。4. one certain to leave scars is a badly divided country.结构

25、简析 election 的同位语one (election) which was certain。 Leave scar 留下伤疤。参考译文 人们可以肯定计算问题在这两派分裂的国家上留下伤疤。5. It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267the narrowest Electoral Coll

26、ege victory since the turbulent election of 1876.结构简析 outpoll 得到的选票超过某人。Fall short (of) 缺少，不足，达不到。Electoral college 选举团票，指每一个州人民选出一群人组成选举团，由它们直接选举总统。6. The election of 1876这是指1876年11月7日美国内战时少将，共和党人，俄亥俄州州长卢瑟福海因斯，在总统选举结束后，认为自己输给民主党人，纽约州长萨缪尔莱尔登而安息。可在第二天，因为涉嫌欺骗行为，有争议之州，如佛罗里达，路易斯安娜，南卡罗莱纳重新计票及诉讼。那一年选举结果争议

27、持续了四个月的时间。国会因争议，不得不推迟总统就职时间。到第二年，1877年3月4日，总统就职最后期限的前两天，国会建立了一个两党联合选举委员会：包括八名共和党人和七名民主党人。最后该会把所有争议的选举人票都给了海因斯。结果以185票对莱尔登184张选举团票。海因斯多一票当选为美国第19任总统。2000年的美国总统选举与1876年的很相似。所以句内提及。7. James Baker 3rd 贝克曾任前共和党总统里根(Ronald Reagen)政府的内阁成员和白宫办公所主任。在小布什父亲的父亲George Bush任总统时又担任过国务卿(19891993)。这次他是小布什为重新计票问题在法庭展

28、开斗争的律师代表，而民主党的律师代表似乎克林顿政府中担任过国务卿的克里斯托弗Warren Christopher (1993-1997)。8. Dick Cheney 切尼是小布什父亲执政时的老臣。他这次出山要以辅弼大臣的资格和经验辅佐朝政。所以报道中提到he will act in the Bush administration as a president in a corporation while George W. Bush as the Chairman of the board of directors.9. John Adams (17351848), 约翰亚当斯，美国第二任总

29、统(19791801)，联邦党人，Federalist, 是起草独立宣言的关键人物。10. John Quincy Adams (17671848) 美国第六任总统，是上述亚当斯大儿子。11. resolved and resigned 这里指他的追随者认为戈尔坚定而又顺从(天命)，因为戈尔的演说，一方面感谢他们的支持，五星期来保证每张票都应计算的努力是捍卫了原则问题，另一方面也是号召全国支持新总统。12. It saw no such leeway. 美国高等法院认为这是没有成功的多花时间，金钱的事。和后面句内for all practical purpose the election wa

30、s over 事实上选举已结束(已成定居)，传达了高等法院认为重新计票毫无作用之义。13. That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justice charging that the high courts proceedings bore a political taint.参考译文 法院这一裁决割裂了哲学思想，使一位自由派法官(司法官)指高等法院程序沾上了政治污点。14. But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, du

31、ring which the physical, legal and constitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseen in more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appeared to be willing at lease provisionally to support.参考译文 经过5个似乎无休止的星期之后，这个制度总算产生了一个结果，一个大多数美国人，至少目前能暂时支持的总统。在这五星期内，有形的，法律的，政体的机器都经受了压力(都很紧张)，也经受了一百多年来没有见过的这方面的沉重考验。写作方法和文章大意这是一篇报导，其特点先画龙点睛指出中心事实，Bush当选，戈尔退出，然后以对比手法写出胜者和败方的处理方法，前者低调，谨慎，似乎宽容，后者似乎退让，认命，再次选举的经过，特别是最高法院的裁决，决定选举的命运点出胜败之因(因果写法)。小布什的险胜有点类