考研英语时文分析中产奋斗史

|==??joe biden profile: third white house run lucky for ‘middle class joe’

乔·拜登简介: “中产阶级乔”终于在第三次竞选后入主白宫

【标题词汇】

????????middle class joe 中产阶级乔，这一名词有社会文化渊源，因为joe是一个极为普通的名字，这个名字普遍被认为是中下层阶级的名字，同时也绝对不会成为总统这种上流人物。英语二2012年的完型就写过这样的一句话：and joe? a common name for a guy who never made it to the top. joe blow, joe palooka, joe magrac … a working class name. the united states has never had a president or vice president or secretary of state joe. （那么至于乔呢？这是一个普通的名字，用来称呼一个从未登上顶峰的人：joe blow, joe palooka, joe magrac …… 这是工人阶级的名字，美国从来没有总统、副总统或者国务卿叫做“乔”。）?显然，完型文章的观点早已过时。

注：本文有大量的政治词汇，可以积累一波~~~

[1] this election was the?culmination?of former us vice-president joe biden’s third bid for the white house. but unlike previous attempts in 1987 and 2008, he entered the race for the democratic?nomination?as the?de facto frontrunner, the best-known in the field. 此次选举是美国前副总统乔·拜登三次竞选总统的高潮。但是，与1987年和2008年的竞选不同的是，这一次，他是民主党一致推举的候选人。

词汇：culmination 高潮?? bid for?the white house?竞选总统?? democratic nomination 民主党候选人

de facto 实际上的，这里指民主党上下都支持拜登竞选

[2] the 77-year-old suffered early?setbacks?in the iowa?caucuses?and new hampshire primary but seized control of the contest with a string of successes on super tuesday when 14 states vote on the nomination. 拜登现年77岁，一开始的时候，他在爱荷华的预选会议和新罕布什尔州初选中遭遇了挫折，但是，超级星期二之后，他在14个州的初选中连续获胜，最后掌握了竞选的主动权。

词汇：setback 挫败?? caucus 干部会议，核心会议，党团会议，这里指选举会议

primary 美国初选会议?? a string of successes 连续获胜

[3] mr biden’s?lower-key?election campaign style?contrasted with?president donald trump’s larger rallies as the democrat portrayed himself as more responsible on observing coronavirus measures. 拜登坚持低调竞选，这和特朗普的大型集会形成了鲜明对比。拜登称在处理新冠问题上，自己会更加负责。

词汇：lower-key 低调的?? rally 集会?? observe 处理

句型：本段文字的结构是主干+as引导的原因状语从句，凸显拜登团队与特朗普团队的不同特色，其中as从句里的核心短语是portray a as b（将a塑造为b，这里指彰显出来的形象）

[4] although former president

barack obama called him the “best vice-president america has ever had”, mr biden’s record from four decades in public office came under attack. so who is joe biden and how did he get to this point of becoming president-elect?? 尽管美国前总统巴拉克?奥巴马称拜登为“美国历史上最好的副总统”，但拜登40年的执政记录还是受到了抨击。那么乔·拜登到底是谁，他是如何成为当选总统的呢?

词汇：vice-president 副总统?? come under attack 受到攻击?? get to this point 达到，实现

president-elect 总统当选人（尚未就职宣誓但是已当选）

a political fixture

政界老手

p. s. “fixture”这个词本意是“固定装置”的意思，这里是想说拜登在政坛已经很久了

[5] mr biden ran for the democratic 2008 nomination before dropping out and joining the obama ticket. his eight years in the obama white house – where he frequently appeared at the president’s side – has allowed mr biden to?lay claim?to?much of mr obama’s legacy, including passage of the affordable care act, as well as the?stimulus?package and reforms enacted in response to the financial crisis. 2018年，拜登退选并加入奥巴马的阵营之前，曾参加2008年民主党总统候选人提名的竞选。在奥巴马八年的总统任期里面，拜登常以副总统的身份出现在奥巴马的身边，他声称奥巴马任期内的一些政绩包括推动平价医保法以及应对金融危机所实施的经济刺激计划中，自己都发挥了作用。

词汇：drop out 退出??? lay claim to 宣称有……（这里说明拜登自以为的观点）

passage 通过?? affordable care act 平价医保法?? stimulus 刺激?? enact 实施

[6] his association with mr obama – a man he frequently calls his “brother” – may have also contributed to his enduring support among african-american voters. as a long-time washington insider, mr biden had solid foreign affairs?credentials, and helped balance mr obama’s comparative lack of?executive?experience.? 他称奥巴马是自己的“兄弟”，而这样的亲密关系也 助获得了非裔美国人的支持。作为一名久在政坛的资深政客，拜登很有外交资历，而这也弥补了奥巴马在行政经验方面的不足。

词汇：contribute to 有助于?? enduring support 长期的支持??

washington insider 政坛政客（washington指美国中央政府，insider是“局内人”）

solid 可靠的?? credential 本意是“证书”，这里指能力?? executive experience 行政经验

[7] the so-called “middle class joe” was also brought on board to help woo the blue-collar white voters who had proved a difficult group for mr obama to win over. he made headlines in 2012 by saying he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage, comments that were seen to?undercut?the president, who had yet to give?full-throated?support for the policy. mr obama ultimately did so, just days after mr biden.? “中产阶级”的乔加入到奥巴马的阵营， 助争取蓝领白人选民的支持，他们是奥巴马竞选的一个难点。2012年，奥巴马因为声称自己“不反对”同性婚姻而登上了头条，这削弱了奥巴马的影响力毕竟当时他还没有对此表示支持。在拜登之后几天，奥巴马终于这么做了。

词汇：be brought on board 加入阵营?? woo 本意指“求爱”，这里是说获得……的支持

undercut 削弱??? full-throated 高升洪亮的，这里是说全力支持

[8] mr biden’s two terms supporting the first black president followed a long political career. the six-term senator from delaware was first elected in 1972. he ran for president in 1988 but?withdrew?after he admitted to?plagiarising?a speech by the then leader of the british labour party, neil kinnock.? 在支持奥巴马之前，拜登已经久经政坛了。他来自特拉华州，1972年首次当选为议员，此后他连续六次当选。他曾在1988年竞选总统，但在承认剽窃了时任英国工党领袖尼尔?基诺克的一篇演讲后退出了竞选。

词汇：term 任期?? senator 参议员?? withdraw 撤回?? plagiarise 抄袭

[9] his?lengthy?tenure in the nation’s capital has given critics ample material for attacks. early in his career, he sided with southern?segregationists?in opposing court-ordered school bussing to racially?integrate?public schools.? 他在华盛顿政界的漫长政治生涯为批评人士提供了大量的批判素材。在他职业生涯的早期，他站在南方种族隔离主义者一边，反对法院下令整合公立学校。

词汇：tenure 任期?? side with 支持，站在……的一边?? segregationist 种族隔离主义者

bussing 美国校车接送制度

[10] and, as chair of the senate judiciary committee in 1991, he oversaw clarence thomas’s supreme court?confirmation?hearings and has been sharply criticised for his handling of anita hill’s allegations that she was sexually harassed by the nominee.? 1991年，在担任参议院司法委员会主席期间，他监督了克拉伦斯·托马斯的最高法院确认听证会，并因处理安妮塔·希尔的性骚扰指控而受到尖锐批评。

词汇：oversee 监督?? confirmation hearing 确认听证会?? allegation 指控

[11] mr biden was also a fierce advocate of a 1994 anti-crime bill that?many?on the left now say encouraged lengthy sentences and mass?incarceration. the record made mr obama’s?moderate?vice-president a sometimes uncomfortable fit for the modern democratic party.? 拜登先生还是1994年反犯罪法案的强烈倡导者，许多左翼人士现在认为该法案助长了长期监禁和大规模监禁。这一记录使得奥巴马这位温和的副总统与当代民主党格格不入。

词汇：anti-crime bill 反犯罪法案 ? many on the left 许多左翼人士 ?

sentence 审判，判决?? incarceration 监禁?? moderate 温和的

losing loved ones

痛失所爱

[12] mr biden’s life has been dogged by personal tragedy. in 1972, shortly after he won his first senate race, he lost his first wife, neilia, and baby daughter, naomi, in a car accident. he famously took the oath of office for his first senate term from the hospital room of his toddler sons beau and hunter, who both survived the accident.? 拜登一生，命运多舛。1972年，在他第一次赢得参议员竞选后不久，他在一场车祸中失去了他的第一任妻子尼莉亚(neilia)和年幼的女儿娜奥米(naomi)。众所周知，他是在他蹒跚学步的儿子博(beau)和亨特(hunter)的病房里宣誓就职，这是他的第一个参议员任期。两个儿子都在事故中幸存下来。

词汇：be dogged by 被……所困扰 ? take the oath of office 宣誓就职 ? toddler 蹒跚学步的 ?

[13] in 2015, beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46. the younger biden was seen as a risingstar of us politics and had intended to run for delaware state governor in 2016. the elder biden has credited beau with encouraging him to run again, and during the campaign has used both tragedies to explain why healthcare – one of his signature policy goals – is “personal” to him. mr biden garnered considerable goodwill following beau’s death, which served to highlight mr biden’s central strengths: a reputation as a kind and relatable family man.? 2015年，博因脑癌去世，享年46岁。博被视为美国政坛一颗冉冉升起的新星，曾打算在2016年竞选特拉华州州长。老拜登称赞博鼓励他再次竞选，在此次竞选期间，他援引这两个悲剧故事来说明为什么医保对他个人来说意义重大。博去世后，拜登获得了相当多的好感，这也突显了拜登的核心优势:一个善良、有亲和力的居家男人的名声。

词汇：rising star 新星?? signature 明显特征?? garner 获得?? serve to 有助于……

relatable 有亲和力的

[14] this perceived warmth is not without its?pitfalls. after entering the 2020 race, he faced accusations of unwelcome physical contact during?interactions?with female voters – complete with uncomfortable accompanying footage.? 这种温暖并非没有缺陷。在参加2020年的竞选之后，有人指控他与女性选民互动时有不合适的身体接触，而且还有其他一些令人不舒服的视频。

词汇：pitfall 陷进，缺陷?? footage 视频

[15] but the?avuncular?politician responded by saying he was an?empathetic?person, though he accepted standards had changed. the episode, however, stoked a perception for some that he was out of touch.? 但这位慈祥的政治家回应说，他是一个富有同情心的人，尽管他承认标准已经改变。然而，这一事件让一些人觉得他与外界早已脱节。

词汇：avuncular 慈祥的?? empathetic 有同情心的?? stoke 煽动，激起??

写作思路：

1-4. 拜登当选美国总统

5-11. 拜登的政治生涯历程

12-15. 拜登的家庭及其竞选形象

中英文对照来自 @雅思哥????