新闻听力 | 美国总统竞选
VOA慢速：美国总统竞选Learn about US Presidential Campaigns慢速 | 四级 偏难 | 966词 | 8min52s刘立军供稿 Part I. QUESTIONSListen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.Q1. What is a key difference between a primary and a caucus?A. Primaries involve secret ballots, while caucuses do not.B. Caucuses are open to all voters, while primaries are not.C. Primaries are more private than caucuses.D. Caucuses involve state election officials, while primaries do not.Q2. What is the significance of the Iowa caucus?A. It is always the conclusive event in an election year.B. It is the first presidential contest during an election year.C. It involves all voters in the state regardless of party affiliation.D. It is the only caucus that uses state election equipment.Q3. What happens in primaries and caucuses?A. The general public votes for the president directly.B. Delegates nominate the final candidates.C. Party members select their preferred candidates.D. The election campaign officially starts.Q4. Which of the following statements is true about closed primaries?A. They allow any registered voter to participate.B. They occur after the general election.C. They are conducted privately without state officials.D. Only registered party members may vote.Q5. What happens at a party’s national convention?A. Candidates debate each other.B. Delegates officially nominate the candidate.C. Voters directly elect the nominee.D. Parties discuss future policy platforms.Q6. What is the main purpose of the party platform?A. To organize fundraising activities.B. To outline the party’s policies and ideology.C. To announce the party’s nomination.D. To train new party members.Q7. How does the Federal Election Commission influence campaigns?A. By organizing debates between candidates.B. By providing funds for campaign activities.C. By setting rules for donations.D. By counting votes during the election.Q8. What does the term “polling place” refer to?A. A building where ballots are cast on election day.B. A location where public opinion is measured.C. An office where candidates register to run for elections.D. A website where voters can submit their votes online.Q9. Why might polling places remain important despite the option to send in ballots by mail in recent elections?A. They allow for more secure voting.B. They provide immediate results on election day.C. They are essential for those who prefer to vote in person.D. They ensure that only registered voters can participate.Q10. What can be inferred about workplace discussions on politics according to the text?A. They are encouraged to promote political awareness.B. They are illegal under federal law.C. They are a common part of everyday work interactions.D. They are often regulated and sometimes restricted.Part II. TRANSCRIPTLearn about US Presidential CampaignsEvery four years, the United States holds an election for the president in November. This lesson aims to help teachers and learners understand the political processes and expressions used during the election campaign.The political partiesLet us begin with the expression, political party. In elections, parties organize candidates who share party members’ ideas about how government should operate. They try to win elections to gain and keep political power.There are two major political parties in the U.S. They are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. There are other small political parties at the national level. These include the Libertarian and Green parties.Primaries and caucusesEach of the U.S. states and territories holds votes early in the election year. In many states and territories, these votes are called primaries. You may know the word “primary” as an adjective meaning “happening or coming first” as in “primary school.” When speaking of elections, it is a noun, but it has a similar meaning – it is the first election in a voting process that takes place over one year.You might also hear the term caucus. (Q1-1) A caucus is also a kind of election, but it is held privately by the party and usually does not involve state election officials or equipment. (Q2) The Iowa caucus was for a long time the first presidential contest during an election year.caucus n. 政党骨干会议；（政党的）全体成员，领导班子(Q3) In a primary or a caucus, voters choose the party’s candidates for local and state offices as well as for national offices. The candidates who get the most votes become the candidates for the election in the fall.Primaries can be “open” or “closed.” Anyone can take part in an open primary election – even members of another party. (Q4) Only registered party members can vote in a closed primary.DelegatesIn some states, voters choose delegates in the primaries. State party organizations have different rules for choosing them. Delegates are people who will attend their party’s convention, or general meeting.When a delegate is elected to choose a particular candidate, we say the delegate is pledged to the candidate. To pledge is to promise something.Conventions(Q5) Each party holds a national convention – a large meeting where the delegates officially nominate the candidate that the party supports for the presidential election. The verb “nominate” means to officially choose someone as a candidate for a position. You will hear some other forms of the word in election news.NominationTo describe the process of having the delegates choose a candidate, we use the noun form, “nomination.” At the convention, the candidate who gains the majority of delegates is called the “nominee.” The nominee gives a speech to accept the nomination.The party platform(Q6) The party platform is a statement of the ideology of the party and its candidate. At the party convention, the organizing committee shares its platform. The platform is a statement of the policies that the party hopes to put in place during its candidate’s term in office.ideology n. 意识形态；观念形态The campaign trailPresidential candidates travel the country speaking to voters at a series of events called rallies. Reporters use the expression “campaign trail” to describe these events. This is a metaphor for progressing along a path toward a goal. The election campaign is sometimes called a “race,” another metaphor comparing the election campaign to a sporting competition.metaphor n. 暗喻；隐喻DebatesPart of the campaign process is for the candidates to debate each other. These are televised events where a reporter asks questions that interest the public and gives each candidate a limited time to answer them. The form of the political debates is not the same as traditional academic debates, where teams compete under clear rules and time limits.DonorsPresidential candidates and others who run for public office must find money to pay for those rallies, television advertising, and campaign workers. A common way to pay for a campaign is to ask for money. People who give to a candidate are donors. (Q7) The Federal Election Commission makes rules about how much, when, and how donations can be made.Polls and the PollsResearchers get the opinions of voters in an effort to guess, or predict, the results of an upcoming election. They do this with polls, or public opinion studies. This word has two meanings in the elections. One is where a researcher might ask you about your party affiliation and which candidate you plan to support in a telephone call. Your party affiliation is the party you are registered with or that you support.affiliation n. （与政党、宗教等的）隶属关系(Q8) The other meaning of “poll” is the place where you go to vote on election day. We can also use “polling place.” Schools, religious centers and public buildings can be polling places. (Q1-2) In them, voters cast their ballot secretly. That means they fill out their ballot without pressure from others in the room and turn in their ballot to be counted by poll workers.In the last two election years of 2020 and 2022, people could send in their ballots by mail. (Q9) But polling places remain important for processing and counting ballots.Privacy and politicsNow that you have some of the expressions used to talk about the presidential campaign, you should use them with some care. It is not normal to ask someone what party he or she is a member of although many people will offer that information freely.In some situations, such as among close friends, you will hear Americans talk about the candidates and voice their opinions openly. But when talking with a new acquaintance or a stranger, it is best to avoid asking about political affiliation.(Q10) Also, know that some workplaces have rules against political activity, and, in government, most political activity is not legal although people often share their opinions.Part III. KEYQ1. A. 细节题。根据“A caucus is also a kind of election, but it is held privately by the party and usually does not involve state election officials or equipment.” 和“In them, voters cast their ballot secretly.” 可知党团会议也是一种选举，但它由政党私下举行，通常不涉及州选举官员或设备，也就是说党团会议不采用秘密投票的方式，而一般在投票站，选民秘密地投票。因此答案为A。Q2. B. 细节题。根据“The Iowa caucus was for a long time the first presidential contest during an election year.” 说明爱荷华州党团会议的重要意义在于它是选举年的第一场总统竞选活动。因此答案为B。Q3. C. 细节题。根据“In a primary or a caucus, voters choose the party’s candidates for local and state offices as well as for national offices.” 可知在初选或党团会议中，选民选择该党竞选地方、州以及国家的候选人，也就是选择他们喜欢的候选人。因此答案为C。Q4. D. 细节题。根据“Only registered party members can vote in a closed primary.” 可知只有注册的党员才能在封闭式初选中投票。因此答案为D。Q5. B. 细节题。根据“Each party holds a national convention – a large meeting where the delegates officially nominate the candidate that the party supports for the presidential election.” 可知每个政党都会举行一次全国代表大会——在这个大型会议上，代表们正式提名该党支持的总统候选人。因此答案为B。Q6. B. 主旨题。根据“The party platform is a statement of the ideology of the party and its candidate... the policies that the party hopes to put in place during its candidate’s term in office.” 可知政党纲领是对该党及其候选人意识形态的阐述……该党希望在其候选人的任期内实行的政策，也是就说政党纲领主要目的是概述政党的政策和意识形态。因此答案为B。Q7. C. 细节题。根据“The Federal Election Commission makes rules about how much, when, and how donations can be made.” 可知联邦选举委员会制定竞选有关捐款金额、时间和方式的规定。因此答案为C。Q8. A. 细节题。根据“The other meaning of ‘poll’ is the place where you go to vote on election day. We can also use ‘polling place.’”可知投票地点是指选举日去投票的地方。因此答案为A。Q9. C. 推理题。根据“But polling places remain important for processing and counting ballots.” 也就是说投票地点在处理和计票过程中仍然很重要，可推测出尽管有邮寄投票的方式，但仍有选民可能更喜欢亲自到投票地点投票。因此答案为C。Q10. D. 推理题。根据“Also, know that some workplaces have rules against political activity, and, in government, most political activity is not legal although people often share their opinions.”可知一些工作场所有反对政治活动的规定，并且在政府部门，大多数政治活动是不合法的，尽管人们经常分享他们的意见，可以推测出工作场所的政治讨论通常会受到管制，有时受到限制。因此答案为D。（本文图片来源于摄图网，版权归摄图网所有)