拜登宣布退选

北京时间7月22日凌晨，美国总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）宣布退出2024年总统大选，并表示将全力支持美国副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯（Kamala Harris）获得民主党总统候选人提名。

你觉得哈里斯会成为美国第一位女性总统吗？

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What was the primary reason for President Biden's withdrawal from the re-election race?

A) Health issues

B) Family concerns

C) Pressure from allies

D) Lack of funding

无注释原文：

Biden's decision upends the race less than four months before Election Day.

From: The New York Times

President Biden, 81, abandoned his bid for re-election on Sunday as he caved to relentless pressure from his closest allies to drop out of the race amid deep concerns that he was too old and frail to defeat former President Donald J. Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris said she would seek the nomination in his place, and many Democrats quickly lined up behind her after Mr. Biden gave her his endorsement.

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus entirely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. He called it “the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president.”

· Biden backs Harris: Mr. Biden gave Ms. Harris his “full support and endorsement” in a social media post. “Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump,” he added. “Let's do this.” Ms. Harris said she was “honored” by Mr. Biden's endorsement and that her intention was to “earn and win” the party's nomination. “Together, we will fight, she said in a statement. “And together, we will win.” After getting off to a rocky start as vice president, Ms. Harris now stands at the brink of leading her party's ticket.

· A sudden withdrawal: Mr. Biden's decision ends a political crisis that began when the president delivered a calamitous debate performance against Mr. Trump on June 27. For weeks, the president insisted that he would remain in the race, but a senior administration official familiar with Mr. Biden's thinking said he changed his mind in part because he had tried for weeks to flip the attention back to Mr. Trump.

· Uncertainty looms: No sitting American president has dropped out of a race so late in the election cycle. The Democratic National Convention, where Mr. Biden was to have been formally nominated by 3,939 delegates, is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago, and Democrats are gaming out the scenarios for a new nominee, even if Ms. Harris has certain built-in advantages — including with the “Biden for President” campaign committee officially filing paperwork to rename itself “Harris for President.” One crucial question: What happens to the $96 million already in the Biden campaign's coffers? It seems likely that Ms. Harris can inherit it.

· Important Democrats mum on Harris: Four of the party's most influential figures issued statements praising Mr. Biden, but stayed silent on Ms. Harris, including former President Barack Obama, who was said to be maintaining the neutral stance he took during the 2020 primaries. While many Democrats on Capitol Hill rallied around Ms. Harris, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrats who lead the party in Congress; and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the former House speaker, stayed silent.

· Donors and voters react: Billionaires and major donors quickly flocked to Ms. Harris, while Democratic voters responded to Mr. Biden's exit with a mix of relief and optimism.

· Praise for Biden: After weeks of deep concerns about his age and ability to win again roiled the party, Democrats hailed Mr. Biden's accomplishments as president. Ms. Harris praised his “big heart,” while four governors who have been mentioned as possible nominees applauded his legacy. Mr. Biden's son Hunter said that “unconditional love” had been his father's “North Star.” Jill Biden, the first lady, responded to her husband's statement with only a heart emoji.

· Trump reacts: Mr. Trump seized on the moment to criticize Mr. Biden, saying he was never fit to be president, and denounced the Washington political establishment and the news media, saying they “did everything they could to protect” him.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Biden's decision upends the race less than four months before Election Day.

From: The New York Times

President Biden, 81, abandoned his bid for re-election on Sunday as he caved to relentless pressure from his closest allies to drop out of the race amid deep concerns that he was too old and frail to defeat former President Donald J. Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris said she would seek the nomination in his place, and many Democrats quickly lined up behind her after Mr. Biden gave her his endorsement.

周日，81岁的拜登总统放弃竞选连任，屈服于最亲密盟友要求其退选的无情压力，因为人们深感他太老太弱，无法击败前总统特朗普。副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯表示，她将代替拜登寻求提名，在拜登为她背书后，许多民主党人迅速表达了对她的支持。

bid /bɪd/ 作名词，1）可表示“努力争取；努力；竞争；努力尝试；企图得到”，英文解释为“A bid for something or a bid to do something is an attempt to obtain it or do it. An effort to do sth or to obtain sth”如：a bid for power 权力之争，举个🌰：Her bid for re-election was unsuccessful. 她争取连任的努力没有成功。

📍2001年7月13日北京申奥成功，就是won the bid in 2001. 申奥，奥运会申办，the bid for the Olympic Games. 竞选总统（白宫），说的是the bid for the White House.

2）表示“买方的出价”，英文解释为“an offer by a person or a business company to pay a particular amount of money for sth”举个🌰：Granada mounted a hostile takeover bid for Forte. 格兰纳达公司向福特公司出价进行敌意收购。

3）表示“投标”，英文解释为“an offer to do work or provide a service for a particular price, in competition with other companies, etc.”举个🌰：The company submitted a bid for the contract to clean the hospital. 该公司投标承包这所医院的清洁工作。

4）作动词，表示“打招呼，致意；请求”，英文解释为“to give a greeting to someone, or to ask someone to do something”举个🌰：I must now bid you farewell (= say goodbye to you). 我现在必须向您道别了。

cave / cave in (to sth)表示“让步；屈服；妥协”，英文解释为“to agree to something that you would not agree to before, after someone has persuaded you or threatened you”举个🌰：I knew he'd cave if they offered him more money. 我就知道如果他们给他更多钱，他会妥协的。

表示“毫不留情的；持续严厉的；持续强烈的”，英文解释为“Something bad that is relentless never stops or never becomes less intense.”如：relentless criticism/pressure 不断的严厉批评/施压，relentless heat 持续高温，举个🌰：The pressure now was relentless. 压力现在毫无减弱之意。

ally /ˈæl.aɪ/ 表示“（尤指战时的）同盟国，盟友”，英文解释为“a country that has agreed officially to give help and support to another one, especially during a war”举个🌰：The US is one of Britain's staunchest allies. 美国是英国最忠实的盟友之一。

📍the Allies 特指“（第二次世界大战期间的）同盟国”，英文解释为“the countries, including the US, the UK, the USSR, and France, that fought against the Axis countries in the Second World War”

frail /freɪl/ 表示“脆弱的；虚弱的；易碎的；易受损的”，英文解释为“weak or unhealthy, or easily damaged, broken, or harmed”如：frail elderly people 年老体衰者。

nomination /ˌnɒm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ 表示“提名，推荐”，英文解释为“the act of officially suggesting someone or something for a job, position, or prize”，举个🌰：There have been two nominations for the new job. 这项新工作有两位提名人选。

补充：

📍nominate 作动词，表示“提名；推荐”，英文解释为“to formally suggest that sb should be chosen for an important role, prize, position, etc.”举个🌰：He was nominated (as) best actor. 他获得了最佳男演员的提名。

📍nominee /ˌnɒmɪˈniː/ 表示“候选人；被提名人”，英文解释为“A nominee is someone who is nominated for a job, position, or award.”如：an Oscar nominee 获得奥斯卡提名的人。

endorsement 名词，endorse /ɪnˈdɔːs/ 动词，1）表示“（公开）赞同，支持，认可”，英文解释为“to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action”举个🌰：I wholeheartedly endorse his remarks. 我真诚地赞同他的话。

2）表示“（在广告中）宣传，代言（某一产品）”，英文解释为“to say in an advertisement that you use and like a particular product so that other people will want to buy it”

3）表示“（在支票背面）签名，背书”，英文解释为“to write your name on the back of a cheque so that it can be paid into a bank account”

🎬电影《侏罗纪公园》（Jurassic Park）中的台词提到：After careful consideration, I've decided not to endorse your park. 仔细考虑以后 我决定不为你的公园背书。

⚠️这里补充一下，看到上面的「背书」你可能疑惑了，除了在金融上的含义，现在往往被用于政治领域。

📍例如，新华网2020年4月份一则新闻标题就为「奥巴马“背书”拜登」讲的就是奥巴马发声力挺拜登。

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus entirely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. He called it “the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president.”

拜登在声明中说，“虽然我一直打算寻求连任，但我认为，为了我的政党和国家的最大利益，我应该退选，在剩余的任期内完全专注于履行我作为总统的职责。”他称，“担任你们的总统是我一生中最大的荣幸。”

表示“离职，退职；下台”，英文解释为“to give up your official job or position”举个🌰：He's decided to stand down after 15 years as managing director. 当了15年总经理后，他决定退下来。

· Biden backs Harris: Mr. Biden gave Ms. Harris his “full support and endorsement” in a social media post. “Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump,” he added. “Let's do this.” Ms. Harris said she was “honored” by Mr. Biden's endorsement and that her intention was to “earn and win” the party's nomination. “Together, we will fight, she said in a statement. “And together, we will win.” After getting off to a rocky start as vice president, Ms. Harris now stands at the brink of leading her party's ticket.

· 拜登支持哈里斯：拜登在社交媒体发帖，表示“全力支持和认可”哈里斯。“民主党人，是时候团结起来打败特朗普了，”他说，“让我们开始吧。”哈里斯表示，她对拜登的支持感到“荣幸”，希望“争取并赢得”民主党的提名。“我们团结一致，共同奋斗，”她在声明中表示。“我们团结一致，走向胜利。”哈里斯刚开始担任副总统的时候并不顺利，如今却有望成为党内领先的候选人。

rocky /ˈrɒk.i/ 原意表示“岩石的；多岩石的”（made of rock; full of rocks），也有“不稳定的；不牢靠的；动摇不定的；难以维持的”的意思，英文解释为“uncertain and difficult and not likely to last long”举个🌰：Their relationship got off to a rocky start. 他们的关系一开始就不稳定。

📍rocky road 表示“障碍重重的道路；重重困难”，英文解释为“If you are on a rocky road, you are experiencing a difficult period and have a lot of problems.”举个🌰：Analysts predict a rocky road ahead. 分析家们预言会面临重重困难。

📍常说get off to a good start，“有好的开端；开门红；顺利开始”，英文解释为“to begin an activity successfully”举个🌰：I didn't get off to a very good start this morning - I'd been at work five minutes and my computer stopped working! 我今天上午刚一开始工作就不顺——才做了5分钟，电脑就死机了！

brink /brɪŋk/ 1）表示“（峭壁、崖的）边缘”，英文解释为“the edge of a cliff or other high area”举个🌰：She was standing right on the brink of the gorge. 她就站在峡谷的边缘。

2）表示（新的、危险的，或令人兴奋的处境的）边缘，初始状态”，英文解释为“if you are on the brink of sth, you are almost in a very new, dangerous or exciting situation”如：on the brink of collapse / war / death / disaster 濒于崩溃 / 战争 / 死亡 / 灾难。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述外国企业在印度投资的文章中提到：In an epic tale of value-destruction, the company now teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, weighing on Vodafone Group, its British corporate parent. 经历了如此漫长而悲壮的价值毁灭故事，该公司现在濒临破产边缘，也拖累了英国母公司沃达丰集团（Vodafone Group）。

· A sudden withdrawal: Mr. Biden's decision ends a political crisis that began when the president delivered a calamitous debate performance against Mr. Trump on June 27. For weeks, the president insisted that he would remain in the race, but a senior administration official familiar with Mr. Biden's thinking said he changed his mind in part because he had tried for weeks to flip the attention back to Mr. Trump.

· 突然退出：拜登的决定结束了一场政治危机，这场危机始于6月27日拜登在与特朗普的辩论中糟糕的表现。几周以来，总统一直坚称他会继续参选，但一名熟悉拜登想法的政府高级官员表示，他改变了主意，部分原因是这几周来，他一直努力把注意力转回到特朗普身上。

calamitous /kəˈlæm.ɪ.təs/ 表示“灾难的，悲惨的；不幸的”，英文解释为“causing great damage or suffering”，相当于disastrous.

insist /ɪnˈsɪst/ 表示“坚持说，强调；坚决要求”，英文解释为“to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when others disagree with or oppose what you say”举个🌰：He still insists (that) he did nothing wrong. 他仍坚称自己没有做错任何事。

flip /flɪp/ 1）表示“投掷（尤指硬币）”，英文解释为“If you flip something, especially a coin, you use your thumb to make it turn over and over, as it goes through the air.”举个🌰：I pulled a coin from my pocket and flipped it. 我从口袋里掏出一枚硬币，把它投掷出去。

2）表示“翻动，转动”，英文解释为“If something flips over, or if you flip it over or into a different position, it moves or is moved into a different position.”举个🌰：The plane then flipped over and burst into flames. 这时飞机翻了个个儿，接着就燃烧了起来。

· Uncertainty looms: No sitting American president has dropped out of a race so late in the election cycle. The Democratic National Convention, where Mr. Biden was to have been formally nominated by 3,939 delegates, is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago, and Democrats are gaming out the scenarios for a new nominee, even if Ms. Harris has certain built-in advantages — including with the “Biden for President” campaign committee officially filing paperwork to rename itself “Harris for President.” One crucial question: What happens to the $96 million already in the Biden campaign's coffers? It seems likely that Ms. Harris can inherit it.

· 迫在眉睫的不确定性：没有哪位在任总统在选举周期如此晚的阶段退出竞选。民主党全国代表大会定于8月19日在芝加哥召开，届时拜登本应获得3939名代表的正式提名，民主党目前正在探讨新的提名方案，尽管哈里斯已经获得了一定优势——包括“拜登竞选总统”竞选委员会已正式提交文件，将自己更名为“哈里斯竞选总统”。一个关键的问题是：拜登竞选团队金库中的9600万美元将如何处理？哈里斯似乎很有可能继承这笔资金。

loom /luːm/ 1）表示“（令人惊恐地）隐约显现；赫然耸现”，英文解释为“to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object”举个🌰：Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon. 天边隐约出现了一团团的乌云。

2）表示“（不希望或不愉快的事情）阴森地逼近”，英文解释为“If a worrying or threatening situation or event is looming, it seems likely to happen soon.”举个🌰：The threat of renewed civil war looms ahead. 新一轮内战的威胁在逼近。

sitting /ˈsɪt.ɪŋ/ 作形容词，表示“（总统或议员）现任的，在任期内的；现有的，现存的，持续的”，英文解释为“A sitting president or member of parliament is a present one, not a future or past one.”如：a sitting Member of Parliament 现任议会议员。

作名词，表示“（宾馆的）用餐时间”，英文解释为“a period when a meal is served in a place like a hotel”举个🌰：When the hotel is full, dinner is served in two sittings. 宾馆客满时，用餐分两批进行。

📍at/in one sitting 表示“一口气地”，英文解释为“during one limited period of time, without stopping”举个🌰：I enjoyed the book so much that I read it all in one sitting. 我太喜欢这本书了，一口气就把它读完了。

convention /kənˈven.ʃən/ 1）表示“大会；会议”，英文解释为“a large formal meeting of people who do a particular job or have a similar interest, or a large meeting for a political party”

2）表示“（国家或首脑间的）公约，协定，协议”，英文解释为“an official agreement between countries or leaders”如：the Geneva convention 日内瓦公约。

delegate /ˈdel.ɪ.ɡət/ 作名词，表示“（尤指会议的）代表”，英文解释为“a person chosen or elected by a group to speak, vote, etc. for them, especially at a meeting”

作动词，表示“（把…）委派（给…），（把…）委托（给…）；授权（给…）”，英文解释为“to give a particular job, duty, right, etc. to someone else so that they do it for you”举个🌰：As a boss you have to delegate (responsibilities to your staff). 你作为老板必须要分派工作。

📍政府工作报告中经常出现的简政放权就是：streamline administration and delegate power，

表示“推演：对未来可能发生的情况进行预测和分析，以便做出更好的决策”，英文解释为“to plan how to deal with something by considering what could happen in various possible situations”

scenario /sɪˈnɑːrɪˌəʊ/ 表示“场景；设想；可能的情况；可能发生的事态”，英文解释为“If you talk about a likely or possible scenario, you are talking about the way in which a situation may develop.”举个🌰：There are several possible scenarios. 有几种可能出现的局面。

复数，表示“（某一组织的账户中可使用的）资金，金库”，英文解释为“the money that an organization has in its bank accounts and available to spend”

· Important Democrats mum on Harris: Four of the party's most influential figures issued statements praising Mr. Biden, but stayed silent on Ms. Harris, including former President Barack Obama, who was said to be maintaining the neutral stance he took during the 2020 primaries. While many Democrats on Capitol Hill rallied around Ms. Harris, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrats who lead the party in Congress; and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the former House speaker, stayed silent.

· 重要民主党人对哈里斯保持沉默：民主党最有影响力的四位人物发表了赞扬拜登的声明，但对哈里斯未表态支持，其中包括前总统贝拉克·奥巴马，据说他将保持中立立场，就像在2020年初选时一样。虽然国会山的许多民主党人都支持哈里斯，但在国会领导民主党的纽约州民主党参议员查克·舒默和众议员哈基姆·杰弗里斯；加州众议员、前众议院议长南希·佩洛西仍未表态支持。

neutral /ˈnuː.trəl/ 作形容词，表示“中立的，不偏不倚的”，英文解释为“not saying or doing anything that would encourage or help any of the groups involved in an argument or war”举个🌰：It's important that I remain neutral. 我保持中立是很重要的。

作名词，表示“中立者”，英文解释为“a neutral person or thing”举个🌰：Sweden and Switzerland were neutrals during the war. 在战争期间，瑞典和瑞士是中立国。

stance /stɑːns/ 表示“（尤指公开表明的）观点，立场”，英文解释为“a way of thinking about something, especially expressed in a publicly stated opinion”举个🌰：The doctor's stance on the issue of abortion is well known. 这位医生在堕胎问题上的立场众人皆知。

熟词僻义，primary /ˈpraɪ.mər.i/ 可以直接表示“（美国）初选”，或者说primary election，英文解释为“(in the US) an election in which people in a particular area vote to choose a candidate for a future important election”如：the Illinois primary 伊利诺伊州的初选。

· Donors and voters react: Billionaires and major donors quickly flocked to Ms. Harris, while Democratic voters responded to Mr. Biden's exit with a mix of relief and optimism.

· 捐赠者和选民的反应：亿万富翁和主要捐赠者迅速对哈里斯表示支持，民主党选民对拜登退出的反应交织着欣慰和乐观之情。

flock /flɒk/ to 表示“成群结队地去，蜂拥而至”，英文解释为“if people flock to a place, they go there in large numbers because something interesting or exciting is happening there”举个🌰：People have been flocking to the exhibition. 看展览的人络绎不绝。

· Praise for Biden: After weeks of deep concerns about his age and ability to win again roiled the party, Democrats hailed Mr. Biden's accomplishments as president. Ms. Harris praised his “big heart,” while four governors who have been mentioned as possible nominees applauded his legacy. Mr. Biden's son Hunter said that “unconditional love” had been his father's “North Star.” Jill Biden, the first lady, responded to her husband's statement with only a heart emoji.

· 对拜登的赞扬：对他的年龄和再次获胜能力深表担忧数周后，民主党人对拜登作为总统的成就表示了赞扬。哈里斯称赞他“心胸宽广”，而四名被提出可能成为候选人的州长则称赞他留下的成就。拜登的儿子亨特说，“无条件的爱”一直是他父亲的“北极星”。第一夫人吉尔·拜登只用一个爱心表情符号回应了丈夫的声明。

roil /rɔɪl/ 表示“扰乱；使混乱；使…停止正常运作”，英文解释为“Something that roils a state or situation makes it disturbed and confused.”也可以表示水的“激荡；翻腾”，英文解释：If water roils, it is rough and disturbed. 举个🌰：The water roiled to his left as he climbed carefully at the edge of the waterfall. 当他在瀑布边缘小心攀爬时，水飞溅到他左边。

hail /heɪl/ 作动词 1）表示“招呼，呼喊”，英文解释为“to call someone in order to attract their attention”举个🌰：Shall we hail a taxi? 我们要叫出租车吗？

2）hail sb/sth as sth 表示“把…称赞为，把…誉为”，英文解释为“to describe sb/sth as being very good or special, especially in newspapers, etc.”举个🌰：The conference was hailed as a great success. 会议被称颂为一次巨大的成功。

hail作不可数名词，表示“雹，冰雹”，英文解释为“small, hard balls of ice that fall from the sky like rain”，hailstones 通常复数，表示“冰雹，雹子”，英文解释为“a small, hard ball of ice that falls from the sky like rain”。

📍ride-hailing 表示“约车，叫车”，英文解释为“used for or involved in the activity of asking for a car and driver to come immediately and take you somewhere”举个🌰：Do you use a ride-hailing app? 你用约车APP吗？

legacy /ˈleɡ.ə.si/ 1）表示“遗产，遗赠”，英文解释为“money or property that you receive from someone after they die”举个🌰：An elderly cousin had left her a small legacy. 一位堂兄留给她一小笔遗产。

2）表示“历史遗产，遗留物”，英文解释为“something that is a part of your history or that remains from an earlier time”举个🌰：The Greeks have a rich legacy of literature. 希腊人有丰富的文学遗产。

📍2022年政府工作报告Part 18中提到了这个词：用好北京冬奥会遗产。We will make the most of the legacy of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

· Trump reacts: Mr. Trump seized on the moment to criticize Mr. Biden, saying he was never fit to be president, and denounced the Washington political establishment and the news media, saying they “did everything they could to protect” him.

· 特朗普的反应：特朗普借机批评拜登，说他本来就不适合当总统，并谴责华盛顿的政治建制派和新闻媒体，称他们“竭尽所能保护”拜登。

seize on/upon sth 表示“抓住；揪住；大加利用”，英文解释为“to use, accept, or take advantage of something quickly or enthusiastically”

denounce /dɪˈnaʊns/ 表示“谴责；指责；斥责”，英文解释为“to strongly criticize sb/sth that you think is wrong, illegal, etc.”举个🌰：The project was denounced as a scandalous waste of public money. 这项工程被斥责为挥霍公款，令人愤慨。

📍名词：denouncement /di'naunsmənt/ 表示“谴责；指责；告发；痛骂；公开抨击”，英文解释为“a public act of denouncing；A charging of someone with a misdeed”；

⚠️区分：denouement /deɪˈnuːmɒn/ 表示“（戏剧、小说等的）结局，收场；（事情的）结果”（the end of a play, book, etc., in which everything is explained or settled; the end result of a situation）

📺英剧《唐顿庄园》（Downton Abbey）中的台词提到：But if you tell Granny I said so, I'll denounce you as a liar. 但你要是敢把我的话告诉奶奶 我就说你撒谎。

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