新闻热词：跛脚鸭

英语自学网

　　美国中期选举尘埃落定，民主党重掌参众两院而且夺得了参议院的控制权。这对共和党人布什来说，可谓一大重创。他已成为名副其实的“lame duck”(字面意：跛脚鸭;比喻义：失去影响力的窘境)，即任期将满不能重新当选的官员。
　　The Democrats won 51-49 in the Senate and a majority of at least 30 seats in the House of Representatives, crippling President George W. Bush and making him a lame duck as he enters his last two years in his second term.
　　“Lame duck”在此是政治术语，指“任期将满而又不能重新当选的官员，尤指第二任期行将结束的总统”。
　　美国总统任期是四年，可竞选连任一次。如果一位总统干到第六年，那么明摆着他是快要离开白宫了，这时手下的官员可能不再那么买他的帐。对于布什而言，中期选举惨败，参众两院已不在他的控制之下，此时的他，的的确确成了一名处境窘迫的“lame duck”。
　　看例句：The governor of our state ended up as a lame duck when he lost the election. He still has six weeks left in office but there's nothing to do except to pack up his papers. (我们州的州长竞选连任失败，即将离任。他的任期还剩六个星期，除了整理文件以外也没什么事可干了。