Listening exercise
Excerpt from Senator John McCain's Concession Speech
November 4, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bss6lTP8BJ8

Vocabulary:
Arizona
to come to the end of
journey
to have spoken
little while ago
to have the honor of Ving
Senator Barack Obama
to congratulate s.o. on
Please!
to be elected
president
contest
as long as
campaign
has been
success
alone
to command s.o.'s respect
ability
perseverance
to inspire the hopes of
millions of
to wrongly believe
to have little at stake
little influence
to deeply admire
to commend s.o. for achieving
an/a historic election
to recognize
special signicance
African Americans
special pride

that must be theirs
to offer opportunities
industry and will
to seize
to recognize
to come a long way from
old injustices
to stain a reputation
to deny s.o. of s.t.
the full blessings of
American citizenship
memory
to have the power to wound
century
ago
Theodore Roosevelt
Booker T. Washington
to dine at
the White House
to be taken as
outrage
to be a world away from
cruel, prideful bigotry
there is no better evidence of this than
election
presidency
let there be no reason now for s.o.
to fail to
to cherish
citizenship
the greatest nation on earth

Questions:
1. Senator John McCain's concession speech has been called "gracious" by many commentators. a. How would you translate "gracious" into Chinese? b. Name some of the reasons why you think it has earned the description of "gracious".
2. How did Senator McCain react when the audience started booing upon his mention of Senator Obama's victory?
3. Name two things Senator McCain praised in his opponent, Barack Obama.
4. a. Who was Booker T. Washington, and why was his invitation by President Theodore Roosevelt to dine at the White House taken as an outrage by many? b. In what year did this happen? (See this report for help.)
5. Why, does McCain say, should every American now, more than ever, cherish their US citizenship?
6. Do some research on the Internet to answer the following: What are the political leanings of these US media organizations?  a. Fox TV   b. CNN   c. the New York Times   d. National Public Radio

Another video of Senator McCain's entire concession speech from msnbc:
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=bss6lTP8BJ8

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