First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17,
2014.
Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her
life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches
her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other
areas she will leave her mark.
Five years after moving into the White House, and
without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in
her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal (声音的) on political issues in the three years left in
office.
So far, critics have complained about Michelle’s
silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the
start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter
gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response
to the massacre (残杀) at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists (女权主义者) who wanted her to defend their causes instead of
falling back on her self-described role as the nation’s “mom-in-chief.” Nor did
she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected.
“The most important thing to remember is, whether you
are black, white or Hispanic, you’re the first lady and the president of all
the people in the United States. That’s a huge melting pot, so to reinforce (强化)that she's African American over anything else would
not be wise,” said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national
conferences on the legacies (遗产) of America’s first
ladies and their historical influence at American University.
Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close
friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to “spread herself
too thin.”
“She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do
that in fewer areas,” Jarrett told the Associated Press. “That, she said, “is
better than trying to take on every single possible cause.”
But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said
he expects Obama to “go a little harder at issues” over the next several years.
“Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully
about issues close to their heart,” he said.
Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications
professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to
continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White
House, given their success. Michelle launched the “Let’s Move” campaign in
2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National
Football League to the Sesame Street franchise (特许),
which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed
characters for free on fruits and vegetables.
“There’s no such thing as a traditional first lady,
not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she
an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she’s been politically careful
because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband
to use his political capital to clean up,” she said. “But she’s not exactly
just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either.”
1.Critics were disappointed with Michelle because
_______.
A. she didn’t put gun-control measures into effect
B. she failed some feminists to stand out to be a
career woman
C. she didn’t solve some racial problems
D. she failed to voice her opinion on some issues
2.According to the professors or advisers, which of
the following statements is NOT true?
A. It’s not wise to reinforce Michelle is African
American over anything else.
B. It’s better for Michelle to have a maximum impact
than to take on every possible cause.
C. It's expected for Michelle to go a little harder at
issues.
D. It’s a tradition for first ladies to stay out of
political issues.
3.What does the underlined phrase “spread herself too
thin” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. Try to do a lot of work at the same time.
B. Get very tired.
C. Try to improve physical fitness.
D. Move herself away from others.
4.In Paragraph 9, the campaign “Let’s Move” might be
aiming to help people _______..
a. gain widespread support
b. become more physically active
c. have access to healthier foods
d. raise awareness about gun control
A. a, c B.
a, b C. b, c D.
c, d
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