VOA常速：2021年美国总统就职典礼

燕山大学 刘立军 供稿

【TRANSCRIPT】

On January 20th, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America. Once inaugurated, he will be, at 78 years and 61 days old, the oldest President to date. His Vice President, the former Senator Kamala Harris, will be the first woman to hold the office, as well as the first person of African American and of South Asian descent. Indeed, the inauguration of the 46th President will be unusual in many respects. As tradition dictates, President-elect Biden and Vice-President elect Harris will take their Oaths of Office on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building overlooking the expansive grassy grounds of the National Mall. As has been the case since 1981, seating for guests of honor and members of Congress will be set up on the steps and terrace there. But whereas in the past 200,000 or more tickets to the ceremony were allotted to Senators and members of the House of Representatives to distribute among their constituents, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year each lawmaker will only receive one extra ticket. No more than 3,000 people will be allowed onto the Capitol grounds.

In the past, as many as 1.8 million citizens watched and celebrated the ceremony and the confirmation of the incoming leadership from the National Mall grounds. But not this year. Once the Inaugural Ceremony is finished, 80 percent of the festivities will be virtual: televised, but not attended in person by the usual crowd of one million plus celebrants. This includes the Inaugural Parade and the “Pass in Review”, a tradition that symbolizes the peaceful transfer of power, wherein the incoming president surveys a group of uniformed members of the military. That’s in keeping with the President’s primary duty—to keep the American people safe, be it from external threats, domestic malefactors, or Covid-19. In taking this oath, the President affirms his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Whatever his personal feelings, party loyalty or religious convictions, he or she is bound to follow the provisions of these fundamental laws. Once sworn in, he or she is President of all Americans everywhere, regardless of whom they voted for and whether they agree with his or her policies. From the Inauguration on, the President heeds the national motto: E Pluribus Unum. Out of the many, one.

【VOCABULARY】

1. descent n. a person's family origins 血统。例如：to be of Scottish descent 祖籍是苏格兰

2. dictate v. to control or influence how sth. happens 支配；摆布；决定

3. constituent n. a person who lives, and can vote in a constituency （选区的）选民。例如：She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。

4. celebrant n. (North Amercian English) a person who is celebrating sth., for example at a party 参加聚会（或庆典）的人

5. malefactor n. (rare, formal) a person who does wrong, illegal or immoral things 犯罪分子；作恶的人；道德败坏的人

6. conviction n. a strong opinion or belief 坚定的看法（或信念）

7. provision n. a condition or an arrangement in a legal document （法律文件的）规定，条款。例如：Under the provisions of the lease, the tenant is responsible for repairs. 按契约规定，房客负责房屋维修。

8. heed v. (formal) to pay careful attention to sb.'s advice or warning 留心，注意，听从（劝告或警告）

【QUESTIONS】

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

On January 20th, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will be (Q1) _________________ as the 46th President of the United States of America. Once inaugurated, he will be, at 78 years and 61 days old, the oldest President (Q2) ______________. His Vice President, the former Senator Kamala Harris, will be the first woman to hold the office, as well as the first person of African American and of South Asian (Q3) ________________. Indeed, the inauguration of the 46th President will be (Q4) _____ in many respects. As tradition dictates, President-elect Biden and Vice-President elect Harris will take their (Q5) _____________________ on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building overlooking the expansive  grassy grounds of the National Mall. As has been the case since 1981, seating for guests of honor and members of Congress will be set up on the steps and terrace there. But whereas in the past 200,000 or more tickets to the ceremony were allotted to Senators and members of the House of Representatives to (Q6) __________________ among their constituents, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year each lawmaker will only receive one extra ticket. No more than 3,000 people will be allowed onto the Capitol grounds.

In the past, as many as 1.8 million citizens watched and celebrated the ceremony and the confirmation of the incoming leadership from the National Mall grounds. But not this year. Once the Inaugural Ceremony is finished, 80 percent of the festivities will be (Q7) ______________: televised, but not attended in person by the usual crowd of one million plus celebrants. This includes the Inaugural Parade and the “Pass in Review”, a (Q8) ________________ that symbolizes the peaceful transfer of power, wherein the incoming president surveys a group of uniformed members of the military. That’s in keeping with the President’s primary duty - to keep the American people safe, be it from (Q9) _____________________________, domestic malefactors, or Covid-19. In taking this oath, the President affirms his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Whatever his personal feelings, party loyalty or religious convictions, he or she is bound to follow the provisions of these (Q10) ___________________________. Once sworn in, he or she is President of all Americans everywhere, regardless of whom they voted for and whether they agree with his or her policies. From the Inauguration on, the President heeds the national motto: E Pluribus Unum. Out of the many, one.

【KEY】

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

On January 20th, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will be (Q1) sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America. Once inaugurated, he will be, at 78 years and 61 days old, the oldest President (Q2) to date. His Vice President, the former Senator Kamala Harris, will be the first woman to hold the office, as well as the first person of African American and of South Asian (Q3) descent. Indeed, the inauguration of the 46th President will be (Q4) unusual in many respects. As tradition dictates, President-elect Biden and Vice-President elect Harris will take their  (Q5) Oaths of Office on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building overlooking the expansivegrassy grounds of the National Mall. As has been the case since 1981, seating for guests of honor and members of Congress will be set up on the steps and terrace there. But whereas in the past 200,000 or more tickets to the ceremony were allotted to Senators and members of the House of Representatives to (Q6) distribute among their constituents, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year each lawmaker will only receive one extra ticket. No more than 3,000 people will be allowed onto the Capitol grounds.

In the past, as many as 1.8 million citizens watched and celebrated the ceremony and the confirmation of the incoming leadership from the National Mall grounds. But not this year. Once the Inaugural Ceremony is finished, 80 percent of the festivities will be (Q7) virtual: televised, but not attended in person by the usual crowd of one million plus celebrants. This includes the Inaugural Parade and the “Pass in Review”, a (Q8) tradition that symbolizes the peaceful transfer of power, wherein the incoming president surveys a group of uniformed members of the military. That’s in keeping with the President’s primary duty - to keep the American people safe, be it from (Q9) external threats, domestic malefactors, or Covid-19. In taking this oath, the President affirms his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Whatever his personal feelings, party loyalty or religious convictions, he or she is bound to follow the provisions of these (Q10) fundamental laws. Once sworn in, he or she is President of all Americans everywhere, regardless of whom they voted for and whether they agree with his or her policies. From the Inauguration on, the President heeds the national motto: E Pluribus Unum. Out of the many, one.

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