interviewer: i'm still trying to understand why you're not gonna run?
gore: the last campaign was an extremely difficult one and while i have the energy and drive to go out there and do it again, i think that there are a lot of people within the democratic party who felt exhausted by that, and who felt like "ok, i don't want to go through that again." and i'm frankly sensitive to that...to that feeling.
interviewer: a democrat, you believe, could beat president bush?
gore: i absolutely believe that. and think about what happened in 1991 when the first president bush was just as high...well, higher in the public opinion polls, and....
interviewer: but not sustained like this.
gore: well, that's true, but nevertheless he was at 91% or something. i felt then that the economy was bad and it could turn back toward democrats. it 6)ultimately did and very few people thought that. i feel the same way now.
interviewer: so which of the democrats, do you think, has the best shot?
gore: i don't know.
interviewer: so you don't have a feeling of what.... do you have a feeling of what it will take? what a democrat has to look like? what he has to 7)stand for to beat president bush?
gore: i think there has to be an unrelenting focus on the economy.
interviewer: why? do you think the economy is just going to continue to 8)spiral downward? is that what you're saying?
gore: i think that the policies they're committed to do not work. and i think that if they don't change them, which i don't think they're likely to, that it's gonna be apparent to people.
interviewer: so this is it? you were in the 9)house; you were in the 10)senate for two terms...
gore: been in the house for 8 years, the senate for 8 years and vice president for 8 years.
interviewer: vice president of the united states for 8 years, and this is it?
gore: i had another 8-year-plan in mind, but it didn't 11)work out.
阿尔·戈尔
记者：2004年的总统竞选，你是参加还是不参加？
戈尔：我已经决定了不参加，而且……
记者：你已经决定了不参加？
戈尔：我决定了不成为2004总统大选的候选人。最近这些天我全家都在纽约，我发现……该是了结的时候了。我觉得我不想成为2004总统大选的候选人。
记者：我想这消息让很多人都感到震惊。你不当候选人了。可你却一直表现得像个候选人似的。跟我们说一说，你是怎么做出这样令人震惊、非常出乎意料的决定的？
戈尔：我两次竞选过总统，但服务人民的方式有很多种。我想继续在政界活动，帮助民主党候选人赢得2004年大选。我要发掘出许多其他的机会。
记者：那要叱咤风云、要坐入白宫的的万丈雄心呢--已经一去不复返了吗？
戈尔：我个人还有精力、斗志和雄心去再参加竞选，可我觉得那么做是不对的。我认为竞选会让人们再拿我和布什总统比较，那不可避免地就要翻算旧帐，就会多多少少地把该放在未来的注意力转移开，而我认为一切竞选都该是着眼于未来。
记者：你说过去的雄心仍在，甚至……
戈尔：对。
记者：对吗？
戈尔：对。
记者：梦想仍在吗？
戈尔：是的。你也知道，我是个永不言不的人，可我……我是基于自己全部的知识和良知做出此决定的，因为如果我这一次不参加2004年总统竞选的话，或许这是我最后一次竞选总统的机会了。不完全确定，但很有可能是最后一次机会。
记者：你认为你能击败布什总统吗？
戈尔：我想是可以的，但事实上，如果有谁向你预言，说他们知道两年后会发生什么事，那是毫不现实的。
记者：我还是想知道，你为什么不参加竞选？
戈尔：上次的竞选太痛苦了，虽然我还有精力与斗志再来一次，可民主党内有很多人已经是精疲力竭了，他们觉得：“算了吧，我才不想再来一次。”坦白地说，我对他们这种反应是相当敏感的。
记者：你认为民主党候选人能击败布什总统吗？
戈尔：我完全相信可以。想想看，1991年老布什虽然在民意调查中呼声高……比较高，可是……
记者：可是好景没能持续下去。
戈尔：对，尽管他的民意分高达大概有91%。我当时觉得经济不景气会使民心回归到民主党。后来果真如此，但当时很少有人想到这一点。现在我就有同样的感觉。
记者：那么你认为哪位民主党候选人会获胜呢？
戈尔：我不知道。
记者：你有没有感觉到什么……你觉得怎样才行？这位民主党人要怎么办才好？他要支持什么才会击败布什总统？
戈尔：我认为必须坚持走经济路线。
记者：为什么？你认为经济会继续滑坡？你是这么说的吧？
戈尔：我认为共和党的经济政策不行。如果他们再不改进--我想他们是不会改的--人民会清楚地看到这点的。
记者：那么就这样了？你当过众议员；也当过两任参议员……
戈尔：我在众议院待了八年，在参议院待了八年，担任了八年的副总统。
记者：当了八年的美国副总统，就这样算了？
戈尔：我脑子里本来还酝酿了另一个八年计划呢，只不过行不通。
注释:
1) closure n. 关闭，终止
2) bowl over 使大吃一惊
3) stunning a. 足以使人晕倒的
4) the oval office 美国白宫的椭圆形办公室，总统办公室
5) rematch v. 重赛
6) ultimately adv. 最后，根本上
7) stand for 支持，代表
8) spiral a. 不断加剧上升或下降的
9) the house 即the house of representatives，美国众议院
10) the senate 美国参议院
11) work out 进行，发展
★★《2003年03月号-第39期-disc01-10》★★
the coliseum
rome, that great 1)witness to a past rich in history, that great collection of 2)artistic masterpieces, which together, form the most complete 3)unmatchable expression of human achievement. universal and eternal qualities which emanate from the treasures of rome, make it unique among the cities of the world. the 4)imposing majesty of its architectural splendours from the past is 5)integrated into the pattern of life which today is many-faceted, modern and 6)metropolitan, producing a natural 7)symbiosis of forms and colours, a past and present, 8)sacred and safe.
the majestic flavian 9)amphitheatre, better known as the coliseum, the symbol of rome's eternity, is the greatest of all the monuments of the roman period. it was begun by 10)vespasian in ad 72 and completed by his son, titus, eight years later. according to tradition, 40,000 slaves were used to build it. the huge amphitheatre could contain around 50,000 11)spectators, suitably protected from the sun by the 12)valerian a canvas roof which was open at the center. it was intended for gladiator shows and wild beast hunts. often, actual stage settings were provided to make the cruel scenes more lifelike and exciting for the 13)multitudes of spectators who watched them with such enthusiasm, thirsty for blood and pleasure. before the fights came the 14)ritual salute to the emperor. "ave caesare. morituri te salu