News English - 239

Trump Wins Surprise Victory to Become the Next President of the United States

        For the past eight years, Barack Obama has served as the president of the United States of America. However, because of the Twenty-Second Amendment to the US Constitution, he is not able to run for a third term as president, even though he is very popular among many Americans. As a result, the two major American political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, both have new candidates running for the US presidency in 2016.

        For the Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton is the party’s official candidate. In the primary race, however, she faced stiff competition from the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Clinton now has Sanders’ full support, and in her campaign, she has been emphasizing her thirty years of experience in government, including stints as a US senator and Secretary of State. She was also the First Lady of the United States in the 1990s when her husband, Bill Clinton, was president for eight years. If elected, Hilary Clinton would become the first female president in US history.

        Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, by contrast, is a self-proclaimed “outsider” who has never been elected to any government office. He often boasts about his experience in business, and he claims that he will “Make America Great Again.” Although many in the Republican Party never thought he would actually win the party’s nomination, Trump has been able to gather support from predominantly older, white, conservative voters.

         As the November 8 election drew near, Clinton and Trump met in a series of three debates. In the first debate, many thought that Trump appeared unprepared, since he often failed to answer the moderator’s questions and interrupted Clinton twenty-five times in the first half hour of the debate. In the second debate, Trump seemed to recover and he went on the offensive, sometimes moving closely behind Clinton when she was speaking. In the third and final debate, however, Trump shocked many by saying he might not accept the results of a “rigged” election. He also called Clinton a “nasty woman.”

        Many people were also shocked when it was revealed that Trump had made extremely rude and offensive comments about women in 2005. Though Trump has apologized and dismissed this as “locker room talk,” his comments may have cost him dearly among female voters. Some experts even say that these comments, along with allegations by other females of sexual harassment by Trump, could cost him the election.

        However, on November 8, none of this seems to have made any difference to many voters in America. In a win that shocked many in the United States and even around the world, Trump won the election and will become the next president of the country. Although Clinton did win the popular vote, Trump won the all-important Electoral College in a clear, overwhelming victory. 

        Will Donald Trump be up for one of the most difficult jobs in the world? Only time will tell. For now, though, one thing is clear: Trump’s surprise election is definitely a historic moment in US history.

Reading Comprehension

(     ) 1. What is the main topic of this passage?

         (A) Why Donald Trump will be a better president than Hillary Clinton.

         (B) The importance of the three debates between Clinton and Trump.

         (C) The surprise Trump victory in the 2016 US presidential race between Clinton and

            Trump.

         (D) A closer look at recent US presidential elections, from 2000 to 2016.

(     ) 2. The phrase “locker room talk” in paragraph five is closest in

         meaning to “________.”

         (A) rude or inappropriate speech                    (B) discussions about sports

            (C) kind and polite language                              (D) conversations in a gym

(     ) 3. According to the passage, how many years of experience in government does Hillary

        Clinton have?

        (A) 3        (B) 13        (C) 30        (D) The article did not say.

(     ) 4. What can be inferred from the passage?

         (A) Trump’s unexpected victory is an important moment in US history.

         (B) It is clear that neither one of the candidates should be the next president of the   

            USA.

         (C) The American people have no power to elect their next leader.

         (D) Very few people around the world actually paid much attention to the 2016 US

            election.

(     ) 5. According to the passage, who supports Donald Trump?

        (A) Young professional females.

        (B) Middle-aged African-Americans.

        (C) Undecided Asian voters.

        (D) Older, white, conservative voters.

Vocabulary and Phrases

1. competition [&kAmp1`tIS1n] n. [U] 競爭

．There is fierce competition between these two basketball teams. The score is very close.

2. senator [`sEn1t2] n. [C] 參議員

．The senator announced that she will donate all her possession to the charity.

3. stint [stInt] n. [C] 工作期限

．After a long stint as an engineer, Linda decided to quit the job and started a different journey.

4. self-proclaimed [&sElfpro`klemd] adj. 自稱的；自許的

．Kevin is a self-proclaimed good father, but no one knows whether it is true or not.

5. outsider [a5t`saId2] n. [C] 局外人；門外漢

．Jane thinks she is an outsider because she can’t understand what her friends talk about.

6. boast [bost] vi. 吹噓；自吹自擂

．No one wants to make friends with Tim because he likes to boast about how wealthy he is.

7. nomination [&nAm1`neS1n] n. [C] 提名

．Our boss has two nominations for the new supervisor. One is Dan; the other is Jenny.

8. predominantly [prI`dAmIn1ntlI] adv. 佔主導地位地；顯著地

．The designers in this company are predominantly young women.

9. conservative [k1n`s3v1tIv] adj. 保守的；守舊的

  ．My father is a very conservative man. He doesn’t accept any new ideas.

10. series [`sIriz] n. [C] 一系列；一連串

  ．There was a series of terrorist attacks in Turkey.

11. unprepared [&^nprI`pErd] adj. 沒有準備的；措手不及的

．No wonder Ryan failed many subjects because he was totally unprepared for the midterm

exam.

12. moderator [`mAd1&ret2] n. [U] (正式討論的)主持人；調解人

．David thinks it is too stressed to be the moderator of the debate competition.

13. offensive [1`fEnsIv] adj. 冒犯的，得罪人的

．Karl’s offensive words hurt his wife’s feelings and made her angry.

14. rigged [rIgd] adj. 以不正當手段操作的；操弄的

．Paul thought the game was rigged by someone else because he was meant to be the winner.

15. nasty [`n8stI] adj. 令人討厭的；糟糕的

．Michelle thinks bugs are nasty. She doesn’t dare to see them.

16. apologize [1`pAl1&dZaIz] vi. 道歉

．Vicky apologized to her mother for breaking the expensive vase.

17. comment [`kAmEnt] n. [C] 意見，評論

．Cater made a few comments about Robin’s painting to explain why he disliked it.

18. dearly [`dIrlI] adv. 付出巨大代價地；非常

．If we break the contract, we will pay dearly for it.

19. allegation [&8l1`geS1n] n. [C] (未經證實的)指責，指控

．Mark denied the allegation of cheating on the exam.

20. harassment [h1`r8sm1nt] n. [U] 騷擾

．Telling dirty jokes can be viewed as a form of sexual harassment.

Words for Recognition

1. amendment [1`mEndm1nt] n. [C] 修正案

2. constitution [&kAnst1`tjuS1n] n. [C] 憲法

3. Democrat [`dEm1&kr8t] n. [C] 民主黨黨員

4. Republican [rI`p^blIk1n] n. [C] 共和黨黨員

5. Hillary Rodham Clinton 希拉蕊‧羅姆德‧柯林頓

 是一名美國律師和政治人物，曾任美國國務卿、紐約州聯邦參議員、美國第一夫人、阿肯

 色州第一夫人。獲得民主黨的總統提名，成為美國第一位主要政黨的女性總統候選人。

6. Vermont [v3`mAnt] n. 佛蒙特州

  其名稱由周圍的山脈稱為「綠山」（Les Verts Monts）而來。佛蒙特州以其美麗的景色、

乳製品、楓糖漿和激進的政治而著稱。

7. US Secretary of State [`ju` Es `sEkr1&tErI `1v `stet] n. 美國國務卿

  United States Secretary of State，是美國國務院的首長，同時為美國內閣成員，主管美國外交

  事務，相當於外交部長。

8. Donald Trump 唐納‧川普

  是美國第45任總統當選人，以及著名企業家和節目主持人。在全世界經營房地產、

  賭場和酒店。

9. locker room talk [`lAk2 `rum `tOlk] phr. 更衣室談話

   指男士在更衣室中談論的黃色笑話。

10. Electoral College [I`lEkt1r1l `kAlIdZ] n. 選舉人團

   為美國總統選舉中的一種選票計算方法，旨在產生美國總統和副總統。根據《美國憲

   法》，美國總統由選民間接選舉的選舉人團產生。

Translation

川普意外地勝利，將成為美國下一任總統

巴拉克‧歐巴馬，已任職美國總統八年。但是因為美國憲法第二十二條修正法案，他沒辦法再參與競選第三任的美國總統，雖然他獲得許多美國人民的愛戴。因此，美國最大的兩個政治黨派，民主黨和共和黨，各自選出了參與競選2016美國總統的候選人。

希拉蕊‧羅德姆‧柯林頓，為民主黨候選人。但是在一開始初選時，希拉蕊面臨和代表佛蒙特州的參議員，伯尼‧桑德斯的一場硬戰。不過她現在得到了桑德斯的全力支持，且在競選的過程當中，她一直強調自己已經有了30年的從政經驗，包括擔任美國參議員和美國國務卿一職。她也曾是90年代美國的第一夫人，當她的丈夫比爾‧柯林頓擔任了8年的美國總統時。如果當選了，希拉蕊‧柯林頓將會成為美國歷史上第一位女總統。

唐納‧川普，為共和黨的候選人，相對於希拉蕊，他自稱為局外人因為他從未競選過任何政黨一職。他時常吹捧自己的商務經驗，而且他宣稱他將會「讓美國再度偉大」。雖然許多共和黨的黨員從未想過他會贏得初選，但川普確實得到了大多數年長者、白人和保守人士的支持。

當11月8號的總統大選將近時，柯林頓跟川普連續舉行了三場的總統辯論。在第一場辯論中，許多人認為川普似乎沒有做好準備，因為他常無法回答主持人所提出的問題，且在一開始的前半小時中打斷了柯林頓25次。在第二次的辯論中，川普似乎復活了並且變得更無理，有時候當柯林頓正在發表言論時，他甚至會走到她的後面。第三場，也就是最後一場的辯論，川普又再次語出驚人，他表示他可能無法接受這場受操弄的選舉。他還甚至稱柯林頓為「卑鄙的女人。」

許多人也很震驚，當川普被揭露自2005年來發表了許多非常下流，並且冒犯女性的言論。雖然川普已經認錯，但他卻輕描淡寫地表示這只不過是「更衣室談話」，對於女性選票，川普的言論可能會付出昂貴的代價。一些專家甚至表示，這些言論和被川普性騷擾的女性的指控，將會讓川普在這次的選舉付出代價。

但是，就在11月8號，這些行為似乎對於許多美國選民沒有造成任何影響。這場勝利震驚了許多美國人，甚至全世界，川普贏得了選戰且將會成為美國下一任總統。雖然柯林頓贏得了普選，但是很清楚地川普贏得了所有重要的選舉人票數，贏得了勝利。

唐納‧川普能適任於全世界最困難的工作之一嗎？只有時間會告訴我們答案。但是現在能確定的只有一件事—「川普的勝利是美國歷史性的一刻。」

閱讀測驗解答：1. C  2. A  3. C  4. A  5. D

News English - 238

Bob Dylan Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature

American musical icon Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Dylan, who is now seventy-five, hails from Duluth, Minnesota. In 1960, he dropped out of college and changed his name from Robert Zimmerman to Bob Dylan. The next year, he moved to New York to pursue a musical career.

Dylan started out as an earnest folk singer and was influenced by early folk music pioneers like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Like his idols, he wrote songs about the poor working class people of America and their struggles, and travelled around singing them to whoever would listen. As his songbook grew and his talent bloomed, Dylan penned songs that became anthems for the so-called “Flower Power” generation, who were young people growing up in the turbulent decade of the 1960s. The popularity of songs like “Blowing in the Wind”, “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” led journalists to call Dylan “the voice of a generation”. Dylan hated being labeled this way and was never shy about voicing his displeasure when reporters called him this in interviews and articles. He didn’t want the pressure and responsibility of being anybody’s spokesperson, and his sudden fame made him uncomfortable. He just wanted to make music and to be himself.

The decision to award Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature came as something of a surprise, but is being widely applauded. This marks the first time the honor has been given to a musician, although Dylan’s talents actually extend far beyond music. He is a talented writer who has authored an autobiography and released a collection of his poetry. His written prose flows with a unique, unmistakable style that is as instantly recognizable as his singing voice. He draws and paints, and his artworks are sold to collectors for considerable amounts of money.

The Nobel Prize was awarded to recognizes Dylan’s musical output over several decades. His selection by the Nobel Committee is an affirmation of his genius and a recognition of his seemingly boundless creativity at the highest level.

Amazingly, even at his advanced age, Dylan is still performing at venues around the world. His touring schedule is a punishing one that would easily wipe out most artists half his age. As one of the most influential artists of all time, he is truly a living legend.

Reading Comprehension

(     ) 1. According to the passage, why is the decision to award Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature something of a surprise?

(A) Dylan is known more for painting and drawing than literature.

(B) Dylan always hated being labelled as “the voice of a generation”.

(C) Dylan is now seventy-five, an advanced age.

(D) This marks the first time the honor has been given to a musician.

(     ) 2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a song written by Bob Dylan?

(A) “Blowing in the Wind”                    (B) “Like a Rolling Stone”

(C) “Flower Power”                               (D) “Mr. Tambourine Man”

(     ) 3. According to the passage, what did Bob Dylan write songs about in the early days of his career?

(A) His hometown of Duluth, Minnesota.

(B) His idols, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.

(C) The City of New York.

(D) The working class people of America and their struggles.

(     ) 4. It could be inferred from the passage that ______.

(A) although famous, Bob Dylan is a private person

(B) although poor, Bob Dylan is a creative person

(C) although rich, Bob Dylan is a person who loves fame

(D) although a famous artist, Bob Dylan is still working class

(     ) 5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

(A) Bob Dylan doesn’t perform much anymore.

(B) Bob Dylan did most of his performing in 1961.

(C) Bob Dylan still performs a lot now.                

(D) Bob Dylan’s best performances were all during the 1960s.

Vocabulary and Phrases

1.    icon [`aIkAn] n. [C] 偶像

Iggy Pop has been a punk icon since 1960s. He has influenced a lot of punk band until now.

2.   earnest [`3nIst] adj. 認真的，熱中的

Robert is an earnest student who always takes note in class and studies in the library after class.

3.    pioneer [&paI1`nIr] n. [C] 先驅者

The Soviet film director, Sergei Eisenstein, was a pioneer of the theory and use of montage (蒙太奇).

4.          bloom [blum] vi. 開花

Most plants flower in the spring while the Chinese plum tree blooms in the winter.

5.    pen [pEn] vt. 作(詩、文章等)

The writer who penned several novels about mysterious events becomes more and more popular around the world.

6.          anthem [`8nT1m] n. [C] 聖歌

national anthem 國歌

Before the beginning of the baseball game, national anthems of each country are played.

7.          journalist [`dZ3n1lIst] n. [C] 新聞記者

The journalist tries her best to be neutral (中立的). In other words, she tries hard to avoid putting her personal opinions or comments into her reports.

8.          spokesperson [`spoks&p3sN] n. [C] 發言人

The presidential spokesperson confirmed that the president will visit some countries in South America for the first time.

9.          applaud [1`plOd] vi. 鼓掌，喝采

When the opera ended and the curtain fell, the audience stood up and applauded excitedly.

10.  autobiography [&Ot1baI`Agr1fI] n. [C] 自傳

The autobiography of the famous actor reveals a lot of anecdotes (軼事) that few people knew.

11.      unmistakable [^nm1`stek1bL] adj. 不會錯的，明顯的

Even though I couldn’t see the man walking to me in the dark night, I heard his unmistakable voice and knew that he is my father.

12.  recognizable [`rEk1g&naIz1bL] adj. 可認出的，可辨認的

Those photographs taken by Jenny are immediately recognizable because of the bright color and unique composition (構圖).

13.      considerable [k1n`sId1r1bL] adj. 相當多(或重要)的

When it comes to friendship, respect and trust are of considerable importance.

14.  output [`a5&p5t] n. [U][C] usu. sing. 產出

The writer is famous for her creative output. Almost all of her novels are bestsellers.

15.  committee [k1`mItI] n. [C] 委員會

The Gender Equality Committee aims to promote gender-equality awareness and eliminate gender bias in our society.

16.  affirmation [&8f2`meS1n] n. [U][C] 肯定；確認

Betty regards her employer’s compliment as an affirmation of her hard work.

17.  boundless [`ba5ndl1s] adj. 無限的，無盡的

The kitten looks as if it has boundless energy that it can run and jump all the day without taking a rest.

18.  venue [`vEnju] n. [C] (運動會、會議等的)舉辦地點

Harris didn’t check his mail this morning, so he didn’t know that the venue of the conference was changed to another one.

Words for Recognition

1.          Nobel Prize 諾貝爾獎

根據瑞典化學家阿爾弗雷德·諾貝爾的遺囑所創立的獎項，於1901年開始頒發，目的是為了表揚對社會有傑出貢獻的人。獎項包括：物理學獎、化學獎、生理學或醫學獎、文學獎、和平獎，以及經濟學獎。

2.          hail [hel] vt. 歡迎，歡呼

3.          Duluth 杜魯斯

位於美國明尼蘇達州的港口。

4.          Minnesota 明尼蘇達州

為美國中西部最大州之一，有眾多的河流和湖泊。

5.          folk singer 民謠歌手

6.          Pete Seeger 皮特．西格 (1919~2014)

是美國民歌復興運動的先驅，有「美國現代民歌之父」之稱。他時常參與各種抗議運動。二戰結束後，西格成立了「人民之歌(People’s Song)」，為美國史上第一個民歌手組成的組織。

7.          Woody Guthrie 伍迪．蓋瑟瑞 (1912~1967)

美國著名民歌手，歌曲多為社會底層的勞動者所創作。他在自己的吉他上寫著「這把吉他會殺死法西斯主義者(This Machine Kills Fascists)」。

8.          Flower Power 權力歸花

「權力歸花」是美國1960年代末期到1970年代初期盛行的口號，源於反越戰的抗爭，代表消極抵抗以及非暴力思想。此時期的嬉皮(Hippies)會將花朵穿戴在身上，並發放花朵給路人，他們又被稱作「花的孩子」。

9.          turbulent [`t3bj1l1nt] adj. 動盪的

10.     tambourine [&t8mb1`rIn] n. [C] 鈴鼓

11.      prose [proz] n. [U] 散文

12.     advanced [1d`v8nst] adj. 年老的

13.      punishing [`p^nISI9] adj. 繁重的

Translation

巴布‧狄倫獲頒諾貝爾文學獎

美國音樂偶像巴布‧狄倫獲頒諾貝爾文學獎。今年七十五歲的狄倫來自明尼蘇達杜魯斯，受當地人們歡迎。1960年，他放棄大學學業，並將姓名從羅伯‧齊默曼改為巴布‧狄倫。隔年，他搬到紐約去追尋音樂事業。

    狄倫一開始就是個認真的民謠歌手，他受許多早期民歌先驅的影響，如皮特‧西格與伍迪‧蓋瑟瑞。他跟他的偶像一樣，寫的歌是關於美國工人階級與他們的奮鬥抗爭，他旅行到各地，唱給任何願意聆聽的人。隨著他的歌本的豐富以及才華的展現，在那個動盪的1960年代，他寫的歌成為「權力歸花」運動世代的頌歌。他最有名的歌如〈隨風飄搖〉、〈像一塊滾石〉、〈鈴鼓先生〉，讓記者們稱他為「一個世代的聲音」，但狄倫厭惡標籤化，當有記者在採訪或文章中這麼稱呼他時，他從不諱言表達自己的不悅，他不想承擔成為任何發言人的壓力及責任，因此一夕成名讓他不自在，他只是想做音樂還有做自己。

    狄倫獲得諾貝爾文學獎的決定出乎意料，但也得到眾多的讚賞，他是第一個獲得此殊榮的音樂家，儘管狄倫的才華其實遠遠超越音樂的層面。他是位有才華的作家，曾寫過一本自傳並發行過一本詩集，他的散文流露出一股獨特、明顯的風格，就如同他的歌聲一樣能立即辨認。他也畫畫，透過賣畫作給收藏家獲得相當多的錢。

    諾貝爾獎肯定了狄倫這幾十年來的音樂產出，諾貝爾委員會的選擇是對他的天份的肯定，也是對他那似乎無限的高水平創作力的認可。

    令人感到驚奇的是，即使狄倫年事已高，他仍在世界各地表演，他繁重的巡迴行程表輕易地就能擊敗許多年齡不到他一半的藝人。身為有史以來最具影響力的藝人之一，巴布‧狄倫的確是個在世的傳奇人物。

閱讀測驗解答：1. D  2. C  3. D  4. A  5. C