2014年MBA英语阅读辅导：时文阅读(9)

　　Bush spent $8 million, but hasn't settled with his lawyers

　　Few lawyers did more to help George W. Bush become president than Barry Richard. As Bush's quarterback in the Florida courts during last fall's bruising recount, the white-maned Tallahassee, Fla., litigator became a familiar figure to TV audiences. He got the GOP equivalent of rock-star treatment when he came to Washington last January for Bush's Inauguration. At one ball, recalls law partner Fred Baggett, a heavyset Texas woman lifted Richard off the floor and planted a big kiss on his cheek, exclaiming, "I love you for giving us our president!"

　　But Richard has discovered that the Bushies' gratitude has its limits. More than four months after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the 2000 election, he and his firm, Greenberg Traurig, are still owed more than $800,000 in legal fees. The firm, which sent 39 lawyers and 13 paralegals into court battles all over the state, is one of a dozen that have so far been stiffed. The estimated total tab: more than $2 million. The situation, NEWSWEEK has learned, has gotten increasingly sticky. While lawyers complain privately about foot dragging (Richard says he's not among them), Bush advisers are griping about "astronomical" bills--including one from a litigator who charged for more than 24 hours of work in a single day. "What you've got here is a bunch of rich lawyers bellyaching," says one former Bush campaign official. "Yet these guys got huge in-kind contributions to their reputations out of this."

　　The lawyers were supposed to get their money from the Bush Recount Committee, a fund-raising vehicle set up when the Florida fight began. A nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money, the committee and its chief fund-raiser, Texas oilman (and now Commerce secretary) Don Evans, swiftly collected $8.3 million--more than twice the $3.9 million Al Gore's recount committee raised to pay its lawyers. To avoid charges that the recount was being bankrolled by special interests, the Bushies imposed a $5,000 cap on individual donations, a PR gesture they now regret. After paying off caterers, air charters and the army of GOP Hill types who came to Florida as "observers," the "kitty ran dry," says one source.

　　The Bush camp says it intends to pay up. But Ben Ginsberg, the former chief campaign counsel who has inherited the mess, hasn't yet figured out how. As for the law firms, they are taking pains not to alienate their deadbeat clients, for fear of damaging their burgeoning Washington lobbying practices. Greenberg Traurig now represents electric power companies, drug manufacturers and Internet gambling interests willing to pay big money for access to policymakers. Whether Richard and company collect or not, that $800,000 could end up being a smart investment.

　　By Michael Isikoff hn Barry Newsweek; 04/23/2001, Vol. 137 Issue 17, p28, 2/3p, 1c

　　注(1)： 本文选自Newsweek; 04/23/2001, Vol. 137 Issue 17, p28, 2/3p, 1c

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象是1995年真题text 3(1，2，3，5题)，第4题模仿1995年真题text 4 的第1题。

　　1. The word “quarterback” (Line 2, Para. 2) most probably means ______________.

　　[A] supporter

　　[B] counsel

　　[C] assistant

　　[D] adviser

　　2. The main problem Richard is facing now is __________________.

　　[A] the ingratitude of the Bushies

　　[B] the complaints of his law partners

　　[C] the unpaid bills

　　[D] Bush advisers’ criticism

　　3. From the passage we can infer that _____________.

　　[A] Lawyers also benefited a lot from working for the Bush Camp.

　　[B] Al Gore lost the recount case because his Recount Committee raised far fewer funds than that of Bush’s.

　　[C] Texan women are all very proud of having Bush as their president.

　　[D] The Bushies intend to become deadbeat clients because it does no harm to their relationship with law firms.

　　4. According to the passage, the Bush Recount Committee ________________.

　　[A] spent all the raised money to pay its lawyers.

　　[B] had got most of its funds from individuals.

　　[C] could have raised more money if they hadn’t imposed a cap on individual donations.

　　[D] had to pay the bills of the army for their help in Bush’s election.

　　5. We can learn from the last paragraph that _________________.

　　[A] The Bush camp also owes electrical power companies and drug manufacturers a lot of money.

　　[B] Richard and his company have invested their legal fees to expand their business.

　　[C] Greenberg Traurig works for electric power companies, drug manufacturers and Internet gambling interests.

　　[D] Law firms don’t want to lose influential clients even if they don’t pay off their legal fees.

　　答案：B C A C D

　　篇章剖析

　　本文说明文，采用提出问题——分析问题的写作模式。在第一段，作者介绍了Barry Richard，这个帮助布什赢得选举的重要人物。第二段则说明了他和他的法律公司所面临的问题：布什重新计票委员会尚未支付他们的律师费。第三段介绍了布什重新计票委员会的工作及其资金使用情况。第四段则分析说明即使该法律公司收不回律师费，他们仍然需要维持和这种客户的关系。

　　词汇注释

　　quarterback n. [橄榄球] 四分卫;关键人物;智囊

　　bruising adj. 困难的;令人不快的

　　mane n. (人的)长头发;鬃毛

　　Tallahassee n. 塔拉哈西[美国佛罗里达州首府]

　　litigator n. 诉讼律师

　　GOP Grand Old Party 大老党(美国共和党的别称)

　　paralegal n. 律师的专职助手, 律师帮办

　　stiff v. [美俚]不肯给 ... 小账, 让...空手而去;失信没给予或供给(担保的或期望的东西)

　　astronomical adj. 庞大无法估计的

　　bellyache v. 发(不该发的)牢骚，抱怨

　　nebulous adj. 含糊的，模糊的;暧昧的

　　bankroll v. 为…提供资金承担(如企业风险)的花费

　　PR 公共关系 (public relation)

　　caterer n. 包办伙食的人; 筹备文娱节目的人

　　deadbeat n. (俗)赖债不还的人, 游手好闲者

　　burgeon v. (迅速)成长，发展

　　难句突破：

　　1.A nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money, the committee and its chief fund-raiser, Texas oilman (and now Commerce secretary) Don Evans, swiftly collected $8.3 million--more than twice the $3.9 million Al Gore's recount committee raised to pay its lawyers.

　　主体句式：the committee and its chief fund-raiser… swiftly collected …

　　结构分析：本句是个包含同位语和附近说明的长句。a nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money 是委员会的同位语，起到补充说明的作用，而破折号之后的成分也是对句子的补充说明。

　　句子译文：法律不要求这个性质模糊的机构透露其使用资金的情况。该委员会和它的主要筹资人，得克萨斯州石油商(现商务秘书)唐•伊万斯很快就筹集了830万美元---是艾尔•戈尔重新计票委员会所筹集的390万美元资金的两倍还多，并用这笔钱来支付律师费用。