爱华网调查：沃尔玛最能代表美国
Wal-Mart best symbolizes America, a new poll finds
In this Sept. 12, 2009 file photo, actor George Clooney attends a special screening of 'Up In The Air' during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto.(Agencies)
Half the respondents of a new poll say taxing the richest Americans by at least 50 percent is a great idea, while more than a third consider Twitter a fad that will likely fade.
Those are among the findings of a new "60 Minutes"-Vanity Fair Poll released Sunday.
Nearly half of the respondents chose Wal-Mart as the institution that best symbolizes America today, leaving in the dust runners-up Google, Microsoft, the NFL, and the banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs.
Dining out was chosen most often by respondents as a luxury they hate sacrificing in these tough economic times. And 5 percent thought the best way to fight obesity among patrons of fast-food chains is to equip each restaurant with scales for them to weigh themselves.
A politician taking bribes is considered by far the greater sin (chosen by 37 percent of the respondents) when stacked against extramarital affairs (just 2 percent).
President Barack Obama has set a time table for a troop pullout in Iraq by 2011. But one-third of poll respondents predicted he won't be setting a time table for removing troops from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 31 percent said he would time it to the beginning of the next presidential campaign, and 25 percent chose "in about a year."
Obama was edged out by George Clooney (24 percent to 26 percent) among respondents choosing "which man they would most like to trade places with for a week," followed by Tom Brady and Bruce Springsteen.
But among woman, First Lady Michelle Obama was the favorite, chosen by 26 percent, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton picked by 16 percent, actress Angelina Jolie by 13 percent and singer Beyonce selected by 12 percent.
The poll is based on a random sample of 1,097 respondents nationwide. It was conducted by phone between Aug. 27 and 31 by CBS News.
Vocabulary:
NFL: National Football League，美国橄榄球联盟
edge out: to surpass or beat by a small margin 以微小的优势打败(The runner edged her opponent out at the last moment. 赛跑者在最后一刻险胜她的对手。)
Tom Brady: 汤姆 布兰迪，美国橄榄球星，号称“美国小贝”。外形非常英俊，他被美国顶尖娱乐杂志大众杂志(People's Magazine)选为世界最英俊的五十名男人之一。著名时尚杂志GQ也使用他作为封面人物，宣传时尚男装。妻子为巴西名模吉赛尔·邦辰(Gisele Bundchen)。
Bruce Springsteen: 美国70年代以来大红大紫的摇滚乐巨星之一。截至目前，Bruce Springsteen的冠军专辑数量已经追平了滚石乐队(The Rolling Stones)，只落后于披头士乐队(The Beatles)的19张、猫王阿尔维斯·普莱斯利(Elvis Presley)的10张和Jay-Z的10张。
