口语情景对话：走遍美国精选当仁不让 ACT 1 - 1
【故事梗概】
市里教育经费拮据，联合校董会出了空缺，Carter Boswell竞选的口号是节约经费，办法是取消学校的课余文化项目。Ellen对这种短见的作法感到气愤。
Ellen: [as Philip enters] I don’t believe it!
Philip: What’s wrong?
Ellen: Carter Boswell!
Philip: Who’s Carter Boswell?
Ellen: He’s running for the school board. The election’s next month.
Philip: What’s wrong with wanting to be on the school board?
Ellen: Nothing. But he wants to cut the school budget!
Philip: Maybe it needs cutting.
Ellen: Cutting the budget is fine, but he wants to do it by cutting all the cultural programs. No music, no dance, no concert, no stage presentations.
Philip: Why does he want to do that?
Ellen: He says it’s to save the taxpayers’ money and I think he believes that the taxpayers will vote for him if he spends less on the cultural programs.
Philip: He’s probably right. Lots of people want their taxes used for new books and a new paint job in the schoolrooms.
Ellen: Maybe some of us would like to pay a little bit more and keep the cultural programs for our kids.
Philip: Well, I’m not sure, Ellen. I hear it from my patients. Lots of people are tired of higher taxes.
Ellen: I know, but if Boswell wins he’ll be an important decision-maker on the school board, and he doesn’t know anything about our children’s education.
【语言点精讲】
1. He’s running for the school board. The election’s next month.
run for: 竞选，角逐。
school board:(地方政府的)联合校董会;教育委员会。美国各州的公共教育是由州内各学区(school district)负责。各学区由通过选举产生的联合校董会(school board)人员组成。联合校董会的权力有: 聘用学区教育局长。局长负责学区的具体教育工作。联合校董会在任用教师，选择教材方面施加影响。还有权批准其它决策。竞选联合校董会委员，常成为美国公民参政的第一步。
election: 选举。
2. Cutting the budget is fine, but he wants to do it by cutting all the cultural programs. No music, no dance, no concert, no stage presentations.
削减经费也可以，可是他想要通过削减所有文化项目的方法来削减经费。取消音乐课，取消舞蹈课，取消音乐会，取消舞台演出。
cut the budget: 削减预算。
stage presentation: 表演，演出。
3. He says it’s to save the taxpayers’ money and I think he believes that the taxpayers will vote for him if he spends less on the cultural programs.
他说是为纳税人节约开支，而我认为他相信假如他在文化项目上少花一些钱，纳税人会投他的票。
It’s to save…: 这是为了省(钱，时间等)。
taxpayer: 纳税人。
vote for sb.: 为某人投票。
4. Lots of people are tired of higher taxes.
很多人厌倦交纳更多的税款。
be tired of sth.: 对某事感到厌倦。
5. Lots of people want their taxes used for new books and a new paint job in the schoolrooms.
很多人想让他们的钱被用于买新的书籍和把教室重新粉刷一次。
a new paint job: 指一次重新粉刷油漆的活儿。
6. I know, but if Boswell wins he’ll be an important decision-maker on the school board, and he doesn’t know anything about our children’s education.
我知道，可是假如Boswell竞选获胜，他将成为联合校董会上重要的决策者，而他却对于我们孩子们的教育一无所知。
decision-maker: 决策者。