2018-01-18

Doctor's Note: Donald Trump's Exam

① At 70, Mr Trump was America's oldest newly elected president.

② Today he receives his first physical examination since taking office.

③ A spokesman insists the president is a "workhorse" and "sharp as a tack".

④ During the campaign his personal doctor called Mr Trump's lab results "astonishingly excellent" adding that he'd be the "healthiest individual ever elected"—no mean feat given he subsists on fast food and up to a dozen cans of Diet Coke a day, even as he abhors exercise (golf notwithstanding).

⑤ Concerns have also begun swirling about his mental health.

⑥ Michael Wolff's gossipy recent book, "Fire and Fury", claims that the president's top advisers believe him mentally unfit for office (outraged denials duly followed).

⑦ The White House says Mr Trump will not undergo psychiatric tests, and was mum on whether his cognitive functions will be studied.

⑧ Although many Americans anxiously await the exam's results, the White House has no obligation to release them.

▍生词好句

physical / medical examination: 体检

take office: 就任 (政府职位)

workhorse /ˈwəːkhɔːs/: n. 吃苦耐劳的人；经久耐用的机器 (文中指总统身体强壮)

sharp as a tack: 聪明；思维敏捷

no mean feat /fiːt/:了不起的成就 (很难达成的成就)

feat: n. 功绩；成就

subsist on /səbˈsɪst/: 靠……为生

swirl /swəːl/: vi. 盘旋；出现

psychiatric /ˌsʌɪkɪˈatrɪk/: adj. 精神病的