宗教因素或影响罗姆尼的美国总统选举

短语讲解：

1. But in recent weeks, Romney has been on the defensive about his religion and the issue came into focus during the latest Republican candidates' debate in Las Vegas.

come into focus (某物)轮廓明显,清晰;(问题)突出
例句：This issue of terrorism has come into focus recently.
有关恐怖主义的议题最近成了热门话题。

2. Romney is a member of the Mormon Church, which generally follows Christian precepts, but adheres to its own founder and holy book separate from the Christian Bible.

adhere to遵循, 依附; 坚持
例句：They failed to adhere to our original agreement.
他们未能遵守我们原定的协议。
separate from区别; 分开
例句：Can you separate butterflies from moths?
你能区别蝴蝶和飞蛾吗?

3. I didn't agree with it, Mitt, and I said so.

agree with与某人〔观点〕一致, 同意〔赞同〕某人的意见
例句：They might not agree with his opinions.
他们或许会不同意他的意见。

4. "That idea that we should choose people based upon their religion for public office is what I find to be most troubling because the founders of this country went to great lengths, and even put it in the Constitution, that we would not choose people to represent us in government based upon their religion," noted Romney.

base upon使建立在…基础上
例句：The play is based upon a novel by Graham Greene.
这个剧是根据格雷厄姆．格林的一本小说改编的。
go to great lengths不遗余力, 竭尽全力
例句：He'll go to great lengths to get his child back from his former wife.
不管花多大力气, 他都要把孩子从前妻那里要回来。

5. That was backed up by a recent sampling of opinion in Los Angeles.

back up支持，证实；增援，后援
例句：He backed up his arguments with facts.
他以事实支持自己的论点。

6. They are about one in four voters overall and they make up a significant portion of the Republican primary electorate, particularly in places like Iowa and South Carolina and Florida.

make up组成, 构成
例句：The audience was made up of very young children.
观众由小孩子们组成。