Barack Obama Victory Speech

EXERCISE FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

Read the passage taken from an article about Barack Obama re-election, find synonyms of words you don’t know, then listen to President Barack Obama Victory Speech (Standard American Accent) at least three times. Take notes and summarize the key points of his speech.
Remember: you don't have to understand every single word. The most important thing for you is understanding the gist and being able to summarize the content effectively.
Make sure you have at least one hour and a half  to do this exercise. This will help you improve your reading, listening and speaking skills.
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President Barack Obama defeats Romney to win re-election
(Taken from www.bbc.co.uk)

Barack Obama: "I have never been more hopeful"

America's first black president secured more than the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win.
In his victory speech before supporters in Chicago, Mr Obama said he would talk to Mr Romney about "where we can work together to move this country forward".
Mr Obama prevailed despite lingering dissatisfaction with the economy and a hard-fought challenge by Mr Romney.
His Democrats also retained their majority in the Senate, which they have held since 2007.
The Republicans kept control of the House of Representatives, which analysts say will likely result in more of the gridlock that characterised Mr Obama's first term, with the House and the president at loggerheads on most legislation.
In his address, the president challenged his opponents, asking them to work with him.
With only Florida's 29 electoral votes still undecided, Mr Obama won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney's 206.
The popular  vote, which is symbolically and politically important but not decisive in the race, remains very close.