美民主党候选人加紧关键两州竞选

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Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are seeking crucial votes in Indiana and North Carolina, where primary elections will be held Tuesday. Meanwhile, Democrats in the in the small Pacific island territory of Guam made their choice between the two candidates in Saturday\'s party caucuses.

争夺民主党总统候选人提名的克林顿和奥巴马正在寻求印地安纳州与北卡罗来纳州的关键选票，这两州将在下星期二举行初选。与此同时，在关岛这个太平洋上的美国领土，民主党人星期六已经在两个候选人之间做出了选择。

Public opinion polls show that Barack Obama\'s once-significant lead over Hillary Clinton in the Southern state of North Carolina has dwindled in the past few days. Obama spent part of the past week criticizing his former church pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who had made a series of controversial comments that considered harmful to Obama\'s campaign.

民调显示，奥巴马在北卡罗来纳州这个南方州曾经大幅领先克林顿，但过去几天来差距已经缩小。奥巴马在上星期花了几天的时间，批评他的前任教会牧师赖特。这位牧师发表了一系列具有争议性的评论，被认为对奥巴马的竞选活动造成伤害。

Obama and Clinton criticized each other Saturday over their proposals for fighting rising gasoline prices. Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, want to suspend federal taxes on gasoline this summer.

奥巴马和克林顿星期六互相抨击对方提出的对抗高涨油价的政策。克林顿以及预期成为共和党总统候选人的麦凯恩，都表示在今年夏天暂停收取联邦汽油税。

In Gastonia, North Carolina, Clinton attacked Obama for opposing her plan. "I understand my opponent disagrees with me. He does not want to give you a gas holiday. He does not want to go after the oil companies. He would not vote against them with the 2005 Dick Cheney energy bill, and I did," she said.

在北卡罗来纳州的加斯通里亚，克林顿攻击奥巴马反对她的计划。她说：“我知道我的对手不同意我的计划。他不想要给你们一个汽油免税期。他不想向石油公司讨回公道。他没有像我一样，在2005年时对迪克.切尼能源法案投下反对票，藉此对抗石油公司。”

Before becoming U.S. Vice President, Dick Cheney had been an officer for the Halliburton oilfield technology company.

在成为美国副总统之前，切尼曾经担任过哈里波顿油田科技公司的主管。

Obama campaigned in the Central state of Indiana, where polls show a very close race. In the state capital, Indianapolis, he charged that Clinton\'s proposal to lift the gas tax is an election-year gimmick, and that she is allied with the oil companies. "Senator Clinton had to send out a surrogate to speak on behalf of this plan, and all she could find was, get this, a lobbyist for Shell Oil, to explain how this was going to be good for consumers. It is a Shell game," he said.

奥巴马在印第安那州这个中部州进行竞选活动，该地的民调显示两位候选人票数很接近。在该州首府印第安那波利斯，他指控克林顿取消汽油税的提议仅是竞选手段，而其实她才是跟石油公司的。他说：“克林顿参议员必须派出一名代表来解说她的计划，但是她却派出一名为壳牌石油公司工作的游说客，来解释她的计划将怎样对消费者有好处。这是壳牌石油的诡计。”

The western Pacific island of Guam held Democratic Party caucuses on Saturday. Its residents cannot vote in the presidential election in November, but the tiny U.S. territory will send four delegates to the party convention. Neither candidate campaigned there.

西太平洋上的关岛在星期六举行了民主党党团大会。该岛上的居民在11月的总统大选中将没有投票权，但这个隶属美国的最尔小岛将派出4名代表参加民主党全国大会。两位候选人都没有在关岛进行竞选活动。

As the primary election season nears its end, Obama leads in overall pledged delegates, the popular vote and the number of states won. But both he and Clinton need the support of superdelegates to clinch their party\'s nomination.

在初选接近尾声之际，奥巴马在整体党代表、公众投票，以及赢得的州数量上领先。但是他与克林顿都需要超级党代表的支持，才能确保党内提名。

Superdelegates are Democratic Party officials and elected office holders who will be allowed to vote at the party convention.

超级党代表是可以在党全国大会上投票的民主党官员以及民选官员。