托福阅读材料之罗姆尼竞选因录像事件受损

　　In the U.S. presidential race, the latest polls show that President Barack Obama has pulled into a modest lead over his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Romney is trying to get his campaign back on track after a difficult two-week period.

　　最近的民调显示，奥巴马的支持率逐渐超过他的共和党对手罗姆尼。罗姆尼阵营经历了一些挫败后正设法让竞选步入正常轨道。

　　Mitt Romney was in damage control mode as he tried to appeal to Hispanic voters on the Spanish language network Univision.

　　共和党总统候选人罗姆尼为吸引拉丁裔选民最近接受了一家主要的西班牙语电视台-Univision采访。这是他为挽回颓势所作的一部分努力。

　　“So my campaign is about the 100 percent in America, and I am concerned about them. I’m concerned about the fact that over the past four years life has become harder for Americans," said Romney.

　　罗姆尼说：“我是为了a hundred percent的美国人而竞选。我关心每一个人。我关心的是过去4年美国人民的生活变得更加艰难。”

　　Romney has been on the defensive after the release of a secretly-recorded video from a fundraiser in May showed him with a dismissive attitude toward Obama supporters.

　　最近有人公布了一段在5月份的筹款活动上秘密录制的录像，罗姆尼当时对奥巴马的支持者表现出了不屑的态度。

　　Romney said 47 percent of voters will support the president no matter what because they depend on government handouts and see themselves as victims.

　　他说47%的选民无论如何都会投奥巴马一票，因为这些人依赖政府补助，把自己看作是受害者。

　　“So my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives," he said.

　　他在录像中说：“我用不着担心这些人。我永远无法说服这些人让他们相信应该承担自己的责任，应该自食其力。”

　　President Obama responded on the David Letterman show.

　　奥巴马总统在一个脱口秀上回应罗姆尼这番话：

　　“When I meet Republicans as I am traveling around the country, they are hard-working, family people who care deeply about this country and my expectation is that if you want to be president you have to work for everybody, not just for some," said President Obama.

　　“我在全国各地遇到不少共和党人，他们是勤奋工作、热爱家庭的人，非常关心国家前途。我认为如果你想成为总统就必须为每一个人而不是一部分人服务。”

　　Analysts say the Romney comments are damaging, at least in the short term.

　　分析人士说，罗姆尼关于47%美国选民的那番话至少在短期内对他的选举造成损害。

　　“And then he makes the colossal mistake of presuming you can say things in secret," said presidential historian Allan Lichtman. "We know in this day and age that everything is photographed and recorded and that you can’t just write off half of the American people as dependents and people who don’t pay taxes."

　　历史学家爱伦.利特曼Allan Lichtman说：“他以为他是在私下说这番话，这是一个巨大错误。你知道这年头一切都会被拍摄和录音，而且你不能把一半的美国人说成是靠别人养活和不缴税的人。”

　　The comments could also hurt because voters already find the president more likeable than Romney, says Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown.

　　昆尼皮克民调中心助理主任彼得.布朗Peter Brown说，这番话会造成进一步的伤害，因为选民本来就认为奥巴马总统比罗姆尼更富有个人魅力。

　　“His favorable to unfavorable ratios have not gotten better and voters say Obama much more understands their needs and their lives than Romney, and that is a problem for the challenger," said Brown.

　　他说：“奥巴马的受欢迎和不受欢迎的比率比过去有所改善，选民们认为奥巴马比罗姆尼更能理解他们的需要和生活。”

　　Obama has built a slight lead in the polls since the party conventions and may be benefiting from an improving public perception of the economy, says Allan Lichtman.

　　历史学家利特曼说，奥巴马总统在党代会以后的民调声望逐渐上升，而且民众对经济形势越来越乐观，这对他也有好处：

　　“That [the economy] was his one big area of advantage over Obama. That’s gone and on almost every other issue - you know, likeability, national security, foreign policy, health - Obama is ahead," he said.

　　“经济本来是奥巴马的弱项。但这点有所改变，而且几乎在所有议题上，个人魅力、国家安全、外交、医保，奥巴马都处于领先地位。”

　　Romney’s best and perhaps last opportunity to give himself a boost will come in next month’s debates, says Peter Brown.

　　布朗说，罗姆尼也是的提高支持率的机会应该是下个月的总统大选辩论：

　　“We are in the final stretch drive and the president is ahead. Now there are events that afford Romney perhaps the opportunity to change that status quo," he said.

　　“大选已经到了冲刺阶段，总统目前处于领先地位。不过今后还有一些机会让罗姆尼改变现状。”

　　In addition to the presidential debates there will be one vice presidential debate between the incumbent, Joe Biden, and Republican candidate Paul Ryan.

　　除了总统候选人之间的辩论，副总统候选人-现任副总统拜登和共和党挑战者瑞安之间也将有一场辩论。