雅思阅读每日一练：美国大选谁将笑到最后_第2页

　　allegations

　　n. 指控; 陈述( allegation的名词复数 ); 宣称; 陈词;

　　例句：

　　The company has denied the allegations.

　　公司否认了这些指控。

　　In the last debate, Mrs Clinton appeared to hold back a bit in her condemnation of Mr Trump on the topic.

　　This time - perhaps inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama's well-received speech condemning Mr Trump last week - was much sharper.

　　"Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger," she said.

　　"He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I don't think there is a woman anywhere who doesn't know what that feels like. So we now know what Donald thinks and what he says and how he acts toward women. That's who Donald is."

　　Mr Trump's response, that no one respects women more than he does, was met by laughter in the debate hall and the nearby media hall.

　　Mrs Clinton brushed off his efforts to turn the topic to her private email server.

　　He may have lost this election even without the live-mic revelation two weeks ago, but it's becoming increasingly clear his campaign has been irreparably wounded by it.

　　Cracked foundation

　　During the presidential "fitness" portion of the debate, Wallace had some pointed questions for Mrs Clinton, as well.

　　He asked her to defend the Clinton Foundation against allegations it was a pay-to-play organisation that granted insider access to the state department in exchange for big-money donations.

　　Mrs Clinton responded by defending the foundation's actions - noting its high ratings from non-profit watchdogs and its global health efforts.

　　Mr Trump called it a "criminal enterprise" - but then Mrs Clinton was able to push the conversation to Mr Trump's foundation, which has had its own share of controversies.

　　She noted that Mr Trump had used foundation money to purchase a six-foot portrait of himself. "Who does that?" she asked.

　　Mr Trump tried to defend himself, but Wallace wouldn't let him off the hook, asking him why he used charitable money to settle a fine levied on his Florida resort.

　　The Republican's response was only that the money had gone to charity.

　　An exchange on the Clinton Foundation could have been - perhaps should have been - a winning moment for Mr Trump. Instead, it was another opportunity for Mrs Clinton to knock him off his stride.

　　Tangled rigging

　　Mr Trump was already largely sunk at this point in the debate. Mrs Clinton had managed to dodge his most dangerous attacks and goaded him into the kind of badgering behaviour that had garnered him negative reviews after the first debate. He needed a clear victory and, at the absolute best, he had fought Mrs Clinton to a draw.

　　goad

　　n.刺激; 激励; 赶牲口的尖棒;

　　vt.刺激; 激励; (用尖棒) 驱赶; 驱使(或怂恿、刺激)某人;

　　例句：

　　He wondered if the psychiatrist was trying to goad him into some unguarded response.

　　他怀疑那位精神科医生试图刺激他作出一些本能的反应。

　　其他：

　　第三人称单数：goads 复数：goads 现在分词：goading 过去式：goaded过去分词：goaded

　　Then he was asked whether, despite his talk of rigged voting at his rallies this week, he'd follow his running mate's lead and pledge to accept the results of the election.

　　"I will look at it at the time," he said. "I'm not looking at anything now."

　　It was a comment that will launch a thousand headlines and dominate discussion in the days ahead.

　　It was also just the start of a full-spectrum tirade by Mr Trump against a media that "poisoned the minds of voters" and Mrs Clinton, who he said should have been prohibited from even running for the presidency.

　　Mrs Clinton's response was that the Republican's remarks were "horrifying".

　　She then deftly expanded her response to paint Mr Trump as a man who cries "rigged" whenever he faces a situation he doesn't like - whether it's the FBI decision not to prosecute her for her email server, his loss in the Iowa caucuses earlier this year, the lawsuit against his eponymous for-profit university or even his reality TV show's defeat at the Emmy Awards. ("Should have gotten it," Mr Trump piped in.)

　　"He's talking down our democracy," she concluded. "And I, for one, am appalled that somebody who is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind of position."

　　Talking to Republican officeholders in the media spin room after the debate, their discomfort with Mr Trump's statement was palpable.

　　Some explained it away as a tongue-in-cheek joke. Others said it was simply Mr Trump not wanting to consider defeat before Election Day.

　　The reality, however, is Republican politicians owe their positions - past, current and future - to the people's vote, and they rely on the legitimacy granted by opponents who concede when defeated.

　　Mr Trump has called American democracy into question - and when he shakes that particular tree, it's impossible to determine who might get crushed by falling branches.