VAN ALLEN 注：通过长期与网友交流，发现有很多的人学习 VOA Special English 都只是停留上随便听听，随便看看的层次。以这样消极的方式学习越久，你就越会发现虽然自己花了相当的时间学习英语，但除了知识面有所增长，英语语言能力水平几乎没有提高，导致丧失学习兴趣，最后逐步放弃，以失败告终。

孔夫子说“学而不思则罔”真是太有道理了，其实事事洞明皆学问，细细品读、分析 VOA Special English 的每篇文章，我们学到了文章主题所透露的知识，更能学到了英语英语语言的词汇、短语、表达技巧等。学习英语不要贪多，太多了就会消化不良，细嚼慢咽，真正用心去学，就能体验到学习的乐趣。

欢迎大家通过回帖的形式发表自己的学习笔记。

阅读时遇到生词推荐使用牛津高阶英语词典（英英版）查询：
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 7th Edition

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阅读原文：THIS IS AMERICA - Coming Down to the Finish Line for a Race That Is About to Begin

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shep O'Neal.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week our subject is the presidential campaign.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The seemingly endless campaign for the Democratic Party nomination is nearing an end. Only five states and the territory of Puerto Rico have yet to vote.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama moved closer to victory last Tuesday. A win by fourteen points in North Carolina increased his lead in delegates and the popular vote.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton had a two-point victory in Indiana, the other state that voted last Tuesday. Still, many political commentators declared the race over.

But speaking in Indiana, Hillary Clinton promised to continue her fight.

HILLARY CLINTON: "I am going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November..."

VOICE ONE:

West Virginia will vote this Tuesday, then Kentucky and Oregon on May twentieth. The primary season ends on June third.

VOICE TWO:

Barack Obama captured fifty-six percent of the North Carolina vote, led by his strong support among African-American voters. If elected, he would be America's first black president.

After the results were in, he talked about defeating Republican candidate John McCain in the general election.

BARACK OBAMA: "We can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term. We need change in America and that's why we will be united in November."

VOICE ONE:

Hillary Clinton argues that she is the Democrat more likely to defeat John McCain in big and often unpredictable states. Her campaign has faced a shortage of money, and she has helped finance it lately with personal loans.

Hillary Clinton would be America's first female president. Her continued support among working-class white voters and older Americans helped her win Indiana. Nine out of ten black voters there and in North Carolina chose Barack Obama.

VOICE TWO:

Hillary Clinton could still win the nomination if delegate votes from Michigan and Florida are counted at the party's convention in August. The national party has refused to recognize those votes. The states held their primaries earlier than rules permitted. The party rules committee will meet on May thirty-first to decide what to do.

The hope is to avoid a divisive fight over the nominee at the convention. In the early nineteen eighties, the Democratic Party created superdelegates. These are party officials and elected office holders. One reason they were created was to avoid such fights.

The nearly eight hundred superdelegates are free to choose any candidate. Undecided superdelegates are under intense pressure from both campaigns. Their votes could decide the nominee in the coming weeks.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

At forty-six, Barack Obama describes himself as a Washington outsider. His promises to work for change and unity have appealed especially to young voters and more-educated voters.

Hillary Clinton says he lacks experience while she is "ready to lead on day one." Senator Obama agrees that he has not spent many years learning the ways of Washington. But, he says, "I have been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

VOICE TWO:

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. Their marriage ended when he was two, and his father later returned to Kenya. Barack Obama spent part of his youth in Jakarta after his mother married an Indonesian man.

Although his father and stepfather were Muslim, and his middle name is Hussein, Barack Obama is Christian. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters.

He attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He says his whole life has been about bridging racial divides and helping people work together. He was a community organizer in Chicago and an Illinois state senator. He entered the United States Senate in January of two thousand five.

VOICE ONE:

Barack Obama recently broke ties with his former pastor of twenty years. Senator Obama denounced statements made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

These included suggestions that American policies invited the two thousand one terrorist attacks on the United States. Reverend Wright also said the government may have developed the AIDS virus to use against blacks.

When asked about Reverend Wright, Hillary Clinton said some of his comments were offensive and outrageous. John McCain said he would not make it a campaign issue if Senator Obama is the Democratic nominee.

JOHN McCAIN: "Do I believe that Reverend Wright's comments were outrageous? Of course, so do all Americans. But it'll be a discussion that Senator Obama will have with the American people."

VOICE TWO:

Political experts said the issue of Reverend Wright appeared to have little effect on Senator Obama in last week's primaries.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Hillary Rodham Clinton grew up in the Midwest, in Illinois. Her father owned a textile business. He was strict. He is said to have turned off the heat on cold winter nights to save money.

She graduated from Wellesley College and Yale Law School. Over the years, she has often worked on issues affecting women, children and those without health insurance.

VOICE TWO:

Hillary Clinton is sixty years old. She was elected a senator from New York in two thousand, and re-elected in two thousand six.

She entered the presidential race as someone who, it was often said, most Americans either loved or hated. That reputation goes back to her eight years as first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, was president.

Early on, he appointed her to lead a White House effort to reform the American health-care system. But the plan was unable to win congressional support.

VOICE ONE:

In the Senate, she has been a strong critic of President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. But her vote to support military intervention angered some of the Democratic Party base. Barack Obama makes a campaign point that he has always opposed the war.

Recently Hillary Clinton was criticized for saying she faced sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia in nineteen ninety-six. She later said she was mistaken, after video of her arrival with her daughter, Chelsea, showed no sign of danger.

VOICE TWO:

High energy prices and the economy are much bigger issues now than they were when the campaign began.

John McCain and Hillary Clinton both want to suspend a fuel tax this summer to help motorists save money. She would have oil companies pay for it. Barack Obama said the idea of a tax "holiday" was a political trick that would save little and could hurt road projects.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Senator John McCain of Arizona is in his second campaign for the White House. In two thousand, he lost the Republican Party nomination to George W. Bush. This time, he has had enough delegates since March to become the nominee at the party convention this September.

John McCain was born on an American base in the Panama Canal Zone. His father and grandfather were admirals in the United States Navy. He graduated from the Naval Academy and became a Navy pilot.

His plane was shot down over North Vietnam in nineteen sixty-seven during the Vietnam War. He spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war. He faced severe beatings, and returned home a national hero.

He led the Navy's largest air squadron at the end of his twenty-two years of service.

John McCain's political message centers on national security.

VOICE TWO:

Senator McCain says his war experience makes him uniquely qualified to be president. He supports President Bush's war policies and says he would keep troops in Iraq as long as needed.

President Bush has called the fourth-term senator a "true conservative." But some Republicans do not think John McCain is conservative enough. He is trying to appeal to conservative and independent voters.

If elected, he will be the oldest first-term president. John McCain will be seventy-two this August.

He faced criticism recently after his campaign released only his tax returns and not those of his wife, Cindy, a wealthy businesswoman. The McCains keep their personal finances separate. The Obamas and the Clintons released their tax returns. But Cindy McCain says this is an issue of privacy.

(MUSIC)

1. endless：continuing for a long time and seeming to have no end
2. commentator：a person who is an expert on a particular subject and talks or writes about it on television or radio, or in a newspaper
3. general election: 这个应该怎么理解呢？大选？
4. primary election:普选
5. divisive: causing people to be split into groups that disagree with or oppose each other
6. superdelegate: 怎么理解呢？
7. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. 注意 to的运用
8. denounce: strongly criticize sb/sth that you think is wrong, illegal
9. offensive: rude in a way that causes you to feel upset, insulted or annoyed
10. outrageous: very shocking and unacceptable
11. issue: a problem or worry that sb has with sth
12. textile: the industry that makes cloth
13. affecting: strong feelings of sadness and sympathy
14. Early on, he appointed her to lead a White House effort to reform the American health-care system. 怎么理解这个“Early on”？
15. congressional: related to or belonging to a congress or the Congress in the US
16. critic: a person who expresses disapproval of sb/sth and talks about their bad qualities, especially publicly
17. military intervention: intervene in sth with soldiers or the armed forces
18. criticize: say what you think is wrong about sb/sth
19. sniper: a person who shoots at sb from a hidden position
20. fire: shots from guns
21. trick: a clever action that sb/sth performs as a way of entertaining people
22. admiral: an officer of very high rank in the navy
23. beating: an act of hitting sb hard and repeatedly, as a punishment or in a fight
24. squadron: a group of military aircraft or ships forming a section of a military force
25. uniquely: being the only one of its kind
26. conservative: opposed to great or sudden social change; showing that you prefer traditional styles and values

下面是我在阅读报道时觉得理解得不透彻的句子，感觉有点晦涩，值得和大家讨论，所以列出来，希望朋友们能踊跃地把自己的理解发表出来，大家一起来学习，让我也听听大家的声音。Come on, guys! No standard answer ,just discussion!

27. I am going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month
28. Hillary Clinton argues that she is the Democrat more likely to defeat John McCain in big and often unpredictable states.
29. Hillary Clinton says he lacks experience while she is "ready to lead on day one."
30. He has not spent many years learning the ways of Washington.
31. He says his whole life has been about bridging racial divides and helping people work together.
32. Barack Obama recently broke ties with his former pastor of twenty years.
33. But it'll be a discussion that Senator Obama will have with the American people.
34. But her vote to support military intervention angered some of the Democratic Party base.
35. John McCain's political message centers on national security.
36. The Obamas and the Clintons released their tax returns.

seemingly：appearing to have a particular quality, when this may or may not be true
nomination：the act of officially suggesting someone or something for a position, duty, or prize, or the fact of being suggested for it
commentator：someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, and who writes about it or discusses it on the television or radio
Kentucky肯塔基州
Oregon俄勒冈州(美国州名)
Server out … term: to complete a particular period of time in prison or doing a job
Nine out of ten：（nine times out of ten） almost always
Divisive：causing a lot of disagreement between people
Nominee：someone who has been officially suggested for an important position, duty, or prize
Kenya肯尼亚
Jakarta雅加达(印度尼西亚首都)
Indonesian：印度尼西亚人, 印度尼西亚语
Muslim：someone whose religion is Islam
Racial：relating to the relationships between different races of people who now live in the same country or area
break a link/tie/connection：to end a relationship with a person or organization
denounce：to express strong disapproval of someone or something, especially in public
general election：an election in which all the people in a country who can vote elect a government
primary election：an election in the US at which people vote to decide who will be a party's candidate for a political position in the main election
textile：any type of woven cloth that is made in large quantities, used especially by people in the business of making clothes etc
sniper：someone who shoots at people from a hidden position
motorist：someone who drives a car
admiral：a high rank in the British or US navy, or someone with this rank
squadron：a military force consisting of a group of aircraft or ships
centre on：if your attention centres on something or someone, or is centred on them, you pay more attention to them than anything else
tax return：the form on which you have to give information so that your tax can be calculated （纳税申报单）
下面是我在阅读报道时觉得理解得不透彻的句子，想和大家讨论。
A win by fourteen points in North Carolina increased his lead in delegates and the popular vote.
I am going to work my heart Indianapolis, 06 May 2008out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November...
Florida are counted at the party's convention in August. The national party has
refused to recognize those votes. The states held their primaries earlier than rules
permitted. The party rules committee will meet on May thirty-first to decide what to
do.
But it'll be a discussion that Senator Obama will have with the American people
That reputation goes back to her eight years as first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, was president.
She later said she was mistaken, after video of her arrival with her daughter, Chelsea, showed no sign of danger.
John McCain was born on an American base in the Panama Canal Zone.(这里的base?)

TO rebacca
Here is my understandings：
31. He says his whole life has been about bridging racial divides and helping people work together.
他说他一生都从事（的工作是）减少种族间的隔阂,帮助人们一起工作。
32. Barack Obama recently broke ties with his former pastor of twenty years.
Barack Obama最近和相识二十年的前任牧师断绝了关系。（我猜测的是相识20年）
34. But her vote to support military intervention angered some of the Democratic Party base.
但对于她支持军事干涉的表决惹恼了民主党的
35. John McCain's political message centers on national security.
John McCain的政治要点集中于国家安全
36. The Obamas and the Clintons released their tax returns.
The Obamas 和 the Clintons公布了他们的纳税申报单（不知这种理解是否正确，他的妻子的也要求去公布？）

下面是我的理解，不是完整的翻译。
27. I am going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month
在这个月，紧接着要在West Virginia和Kentucky州进行初选。所以她说自己要全力以赴(to work my heart out)。
28. Hillary Clinton argues that she is the Democrat more likely to defeat John McCain in big and often unpredictable states.
她认为自己最有资格代表民主党战胜共和党的John McCain，表现在她更能够应付国家出现大的突发事件。states指一种状态
29. Hillary Clinton says he lacks experience while she is "ready to lead on day one."
由于Hillary Clinton随丈夫白宫多年，一直称有处理国家事务的经验，也是竟选的招牌。这句话就是说她一上任就可得心应手地去处理事务，不需慌忙应对。
30. He has not spent many years learning the ways of Washington.
Obama说他虽然没有太多地去研究政府处理具体事务的做法，但紧接着说他知道这些做法必须改变。ways也可理解为一种道路或方针政策。指他有决心引领美国走一条新的道路。
31. He says his whole life has been about bridging racial divides and helping people work together.
bridging指架设桥梁。指在种族之间建立沟通。
32. Barack Obama recently broke ties with his former pastor of twenty years.
broke ties 断决关系。由于奥巴马的牧师说了一些指责政府的话，奥巴马的内心世界引起了人们的怀疑。这位牧师与奥巴马有二十多年不同一般的关系。
33. But it'll be a discussion that Senator Obama will have with the American people.
上文说了 McCain并不准备在与奥巴马竟选中拿这件事做文章，关键要看其'个人表现'，也就是奥巴马自己对美国人民要做些什么，这个问题要认真对待(discussion)
34. But her vote to support military intervention angered some of the Democratic Party base.
民主党基本上是不支持军事介入伊拉克的。在这一点上希拉里唱了反调，遭到了一些民主党人的反对。base我不知道怎么译好。
35. John McCain's political message centers on national security.
John McCain的政见主要集中在国家安全上面。他是军人出身嘛，这是他的强项。
36. The Obamas and the Clintons released their tax returns.
通过个人交税情况，可以大体反映个人经济情况。收入透明嘛。Obama及Clinton夫妻双方都公开了他们税况。但John McCain的夫人却称这是隐私不愿公开。富婆一个。

to 杨昆：
巴拿马运河是由美军管理的。这里指他出生在美军基地。

谢谢楼上二位的鼎力相助，这篇文章我初读起来一知半解，但是看了二位的建议之后再读就觉得容易了一些，尤其是看了dtgwx的分析让我很受益，看来你很关注美国的文化背景，值得学习。在此谢过二位，希望今后能更多地交流，共同进步！
另外，我个人感觉这篇文章理解起来有点困难，建议版主或哪位高手能给发个中文译文上来，帮助大家理解，谢谢！

Thanks a lot for dtgwx