1、Lesson SevenObama Wins as a Second Term as U.S.PresidentWord supplementhard news 硬新闻;纯消息headline n新闻标题；内容提要hearsay n小道消息highlights n.要闻hot news 热点新闻human interest 人情味in-depth reporting 深度报道insert n.&vt插补段落;插稿interpretative reporting 解释性报道invasion of privacy 侵犯隐私(权)inverted pyramid 倒金字塔(写作结构)investig
2、ative reporting 调查性报道journalism n新闻业;新闻学 journalist n新闻记者kill vt退弃(稿件)；枪毙(稿件)layout n版面编排；版面设计lead n导语libel n.v.诽谤(罪)Background informationQuiz:some relevant information about American politicsElections for President of the United States Some important figures:Barack Obama;Mitt RomneyQuiz:some relev
3、ant information about American politics1.Who is responsible for running for US presidential election?A.The federal election commission B.The States C.Congress D.The organization for economic cooperation and development2.US presidential elections are held every_ _ years.A.Two B.Five C.Eight D.Four 3.
4、What are the major political parties in the United States?A.Whig and Tory B.Democratic and Republican C.Conservative and Liberal D.Evangelical and Democratic4.Members of the House of Representatives are elected every_ _ years A.Two B.Five C.Eight D.Four5.How long are the terms served by the US senat
5、ors?A.Two years B.Four years C.Six years D.Eight years6.What is the maximum number of terms a US president may serve?A.One B.two C.Three D.Four7.When does the inauguration of president-elect take place under the normal circumstances?A.November B.December C.January D.March8.Which of following words m
6、ean“the right to vote”?A.Suffrage B.Canvas C.Ballot D.Naturalization9.When is American national election held?A.November 5 B.December 25 C.The first Tuesday after the first Monday of November D.Uncertain U.S.Capitol,Washington,D.C.U.S.Capitol,Washington,D.C.Builders laid the cornerstone for the Unit
7、ed States Capitol in Builders laid the cornerstone for the United States Capitol in 1793,and the building has been the seat of the countrys Senate and 1793,and the building has been the seat of the countrys Senate and the House of Representatives since 1800.the House of Representatives since 1800.Le
8、gislative Branch OrganizationLegislative Branch OrganizationBicameral(two house)politic SystemCongressCongress:Senate (100)Senate (100)House of Representatives(435)House of Representatives(435)The U.S.Capitol:Senate The U.S.Capitol:House of Representatives Senate OrganizationSenate Organization Beca
9、use of its relatively small size,the Senate has a simple organizational structure.The president pro tempore(temporary)controls the chamber,but individual members have substantial power to influence or block legislation.Structure of the HouseStructure of the HouseExecutive BranchThe executive branch
10、of the Government is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land.President:Leader of the country and Commander in Chief of the military.Vice President:President of the Senate and becomes President if the President is unable to serve.Departments:Department heads advise the President on policy issu
11、es and help execute those policies.Independent Agencies:Help execute policy or provide special services.U.S.President&Vice PresidentThe White House(front)The White House(back)Executive Branch of GovernmentExecutive Branch of GovernmentThe Presidents Cabinet (15 Departments)1.Secretary of State Depar
12、tment of State(1789)国务院国务院2.Secretary of the Treasury Department of the Treasury(1789)3.Secretary of Defense Department of Defense(1947)4.Attorney General Department of Justice(1870)5.Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior(1849)6.Secretary of Agriculture Department of Agriculture(1862)
13、7.Secretary of Commerce Department of Commerce(1903)商务部商务部8.Secretary of Labor Department of Labor(1913)9.Secretary of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human Services(1953)10.Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Department of Housing and Urban Development(1965)11.Secretary of
14、 Transportation Department of Transportation(1966):12.Secretary of Energy Department of Energy(1977):13.Secretary of Education Department of Education(1979)14.Secretary of Veterans Affairs Department of Veterans Affairs(1988):15.Secretary of Homeland Security Department of Homeland Security(2003)Jud
15、icial BranchSupreme Court of the United States-美国最高法院美国最高法院District Court-地方法院地方法院Claims Court-索赔法院索赔法院Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit-联邦巡回上诉法院联邦巡回上诉法院Court of International Trade-国际贸易法院国际贸易法院Territorial Courts-属地法院属地法院Court of Military Appeals-军事上诉法院军事上诉法院Court of Veterans Appeals-退伍军人上诉法院
16、退伍军人上诉法院Administrative Office of the Courts-法院行政管理局法院行政管理局Federal Judicial Center-联邦司法中心联邦司法中心The Supreme Court Building Since 1935 this majestic marble building in Washington,D.C.,has housed the Supreme Court of the United States.Election of the President On November 6,2012,Americans elected the 45
17、th President of the United States.This process was set up in the United States Constitution.The Constitution requires a candidate for the presidency to be:1.At least 35 years old 2.A natural born citizen of the United States 3.A resident of the United States for 14 years So how does one become Presi
18、dent of the United States?The following steps outline the general process for presidential elections.Step I:Primaries and Caucuses There are many people who would like to become President.Each of these people have their own ideas about how our government should work.Some of these people can belong t
19、o the same political party.Thats where primaries and caucuses come in.In these elections,party members get to vote for the candidate that will represent their party in the upcoming general election.Step 2:National Conventions At the end of the primaries and caucuses,each party holds a national conve
20、ntion to finalize the selection of one Presidential nominee.During this time,each Presidential candidate chooses a running-mate(or Vice-Presidential candidate).Step 3:The General(or Popular)Election Now that each party is represented by one candidate,the general election process begins.Candidates ca
21、mpaign throughout the country in an attempt to win the support of voters.Finally in November,the people vote for one candidate.When a person casts a vote in the general election,they are not voting directly for an individual Presidential candidate.Instead,voters in each state actually cast their vot
22、e for a group of people,known as electors.These electors are part of the Electoral College and are supposed to vote for their state preferred candidate.Step 4:The Electoral College In the Electoral College system,each state gets a certain number of electors,based on each states total number of repre
23、sentation in Congress.Each elector gets one electoral vote.For example,a large state like California gets 54 electoral votes,while Rhode Island gets only four.All together,there are 538 Electoral votes.In December(following the general election),the electors cast their votes.When the votes are count
24、ed on January 6th,the Presidential candidate that gets more than half(270)wins the election.The President-elect and Vice President-elect take the oath of office and are inaugurated two weeks later,on January 20th.Some important figuresBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu(1961),and g
25、raduated from Columbia(B.A.1983)and Harvard Law School(J.D.1991).Soon after law school,he moved to Chicago,where he practiced civil-rights law,lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago,and was active in Democratic Party.He was elected to the Illinois state senate in 1996,serving un
26、til he won a U.S.Senate seat in 2004.As a young Democratic star,he shocked the 2004 Democratic convention with his keynote address.He became a candidate for the 2008 and 2012 Democratic presidential nomination and was elected the nations 44th and 45thpresident.Obama is the first African-American pre
27、sident in American history.Mitt RomneyWillard Mitt Romney is an American businessman who served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002Winter Olympics.He campaigned for the Republican nomination in the presidential e
28、lection,but was defeated by John McCain.Romney won the 2012 Republican presidential nomination,becoming the first Mormon to be a major party presidential nominee.Romney was defeated by incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 general election,losing by 332206 electoral colleg
29、e votes.Hurricane Sandy:Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season,as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history.The Costliest:Hurricane Katrina,happened in August,2005卡特里娜飓风卡特里娜飓风Text Analysis Title:Obama Wins a Second
30、 Term as U.S.President1.News Lead/Introduction Para._1_ to Para._2.More facts about the two candidates Para._2_ to Para._6_3.More details about the election Para._7_ to Para._12_4.Romneys loss Para._13_ to Para._17_5.The reasons for Obamas victory Para._18_ to Para._23_6.More related info.of Obama P
31、ara._24_ to Para._35_New Wordslandslide n.1.a victory in an election in which a person or political party gets far more votes or seats than their opponents.（选举中）大获全胜，一面倒的胜利 2.a large amount of earth and rocks falling down a cliff or the side of a mountain.塌方；山崩；滑坡Coalition(1)n.an organization of peo
32、ple(or countries)involved in a pact or treaty Score(2)v.If you score a success,a victory,or a hit,you are successful in what you are doing赢得;获得;取得 narrow:If you have a narrow victory,you succeed in winning but only by a small amount(胜利)勉强的;(胜负)差距微弱的;险胜的 pick up(3):1.fill with high spirits 2.start ag
33、ain,continue fight ones way:奋勇前进oblique(4)adj.not expressed in a direct or an open way 拐弯抹角的，不直截了当的Contention(5)n.idea or opinion that somebody are expressing in an argument or discussion争论或讨论时的)看法，观点batter v.to hit sb.or sth.again and again,in a way that hurts or causes damage 连续猛击；毒打；严重破坏leave eve
34、rything on the field(6):spare no effort to do sth.fulfill:satisfy,live up to 履行；执行；实现as of(7):截止；在时close:(of a contest or contestants)evenly matched(指比赛、选举等）势均力敌的Margin(10)：difference between two amounts,especially the difference in the number of votes or points between the winner and the loser in a
35、n election or other contest(尤指选票或比分的)差额，差数 returns(11):N-PLURAL results of votes after an election(选举)结果 Milestone(17):1.a stone by the side of a road showing the distances to particular places.(路边显示到某地距离的）里程碑，里程标志 2.an important event in the history or development of something or someone.里程碑;重大事件;重
36、要阶段 fall short of:fail to satisfy,as of expectations不足；缺乏；达不到；不符合 commander in chief(18):the officer who holds the supreme command总司令；三军统帅；统帅；最高统帅bail out(19):help sb./sth.out of a difficult situation,often by giving money（常指通过出资）帮助脱离困境;保释（某人）；（从飞机上）跳伞逃生bailout n.（公司所受的）紧急援助；跳伞Backer(21):n.someone w
37、ho helps or supports a project,organization,or person,often by giving or lending money 支持者；资助者 Arc(22):part of a curved line or circle(弧线),in this article it means a continuous progression or linefar-reaching:having broad range or effect深远的；影响深远的Landmark(23):building or feature which is easily notic
38、ed and can be used to judge your position or the position of other buildings or features.地标；陆标 an important stage in the development of something 里程碑；转折点NBA Hall of Fame(30):NBA 名人堂 NBA Hall of Famer Detailed study of the text1.Para2.1st sentence:Obama,the nations first African American president,wo
39、n a decisive victory finally by putting a series of narrow victories together during his second run for the president.2.2nd sentence:battlegrounds(p72 note 2)3.para.4:Obama also indirectly mentioned the weak advantage of his campaign,he pointed out that this fierce election will be envied in countri
40、es with fewer freedoms around the world because the arguments they had in the election are symbol of freedom.Para.5.:Romney,a former Massachusetts governor,had based his campaign on just one argument that the countrys economy is seriously damaged because of Obamas failures,and his business experienc
41、e made him the uniquely qualified one to deal with the situation.Para.7:Till early Wednesday,Obama and Romney are evenly matched in Florida,but this is irrelevant to Obama because he had got 270 electoral votes.Para.9 last sen.:Now,Obama was determined to throw himself into the old partisan politics
42、 and fight with the Republicans whom he said supported the rich and he himself tried to win the support from women.Para.10 last sen.:There are one time more women voters who voted for Obama than the ones who voted for Romney.exit poll:投票站出口民调Para.11:Capitol Hill：the U.S.CongressPara.16:The Tea Party
43、 is a term adopted by a group of US conservatives who dont like taxes.Its based on the Boston Tea Party,which is what a group people were called when they protested British taxes when the US was a British colony.But the words tea party have a different meaning in the US West and Southwest.If a baske
44、tball team is facing tough competition,someone will say,“It wont be a tea party,”meaning it wont be a polite fight.In Texas,where most people choose coffee over tea,the word tea can be an insult.Texas A&M University football team members call their rivals,the University of Texas,“tea sippers.”And th
45、e University of Texas football team has been known to call the Colorado football team“tea sippers,”meaning theyre not very tough.(taxed enough already)茶党这一说法，取自一群讨厌税收的美国保守主义者。它起源于波士顿茶叶党，当时美国还是英国的殖民地，有一群人起来反抗英国当局的税收政策，因此得名。但是在美国西部和西南部，tea party这个词还有别的意思。如果一个篮球队面临一场艰难的比赛，有人就会说，“It wont be a tea party”
46、，意思是说这场比赛不太好打。在德州，大部分人不喝茶喝咖啡，tea这个词带有侮辱性质。德州农工大学橄榄球队称他们的对手德州大学球队为“tea sippers（茶客）”，而德州大学球队把同样的称呼用于科罗拉多球队，意思是说他们太弱了。Para.32:When one Wisconsin woman picked up the phone to listen to Obama,he had got the chance to make a correct judgment about his running for the second term as the president.put/get/k
47、eep sth.in perspective:to judge the importance of sth.correctly 正确判断/看待put/get/keep sth.out of perspective:to fail to judge the real importance of sth.不正确地判断/看待Question 1:What are the main differences between the present Obama and the one four years ago in accordance with the text?Four years ago Oba
48、ma was a hopeful uniter,but now he is a determined fighter for middle-class interests;four years ago he promised to eliminate the countrys partisan politics but failed,but now he is determined to throw himself into it and fight with Republicans.Question 2:In which groups of people did Obama get the
49、most and the least supports?He got the most supports among African Americans and the least supports in white men.Question 3:What is Obamas campaign slogan for this campaign?And what does it mean?(para.24)The slogan is“Forward”.It is a vague slogan and does not give any specific ideas,it just calls o
50、n the Americans to trust him and give him the chance to move forward and be the countrys president for another term.Question 4：What were the three actions helping Obama win the reelection?The first one was Obamas decision to bail out the U.S.auto industry;the second one was his choice to offer some
