奥巴马夫妇接受奥普拉采访 互比圣诞礼物

The White House may be bedecked with baubles and awash with Christmas cheer, but its most famous resident appears a tad disgruntled with Santa.

When it comes to gifts, "I give nicer stuff than I get," President Barack Obama said half-jokingly in an interview aired on ABC television Sunday.

Quizzed about Christmas-time giving by Oprah Winfrey -- a close friend and backer from his hometown of Chicago -- Obama's candidness prompted a nudge from his co-interviewee, First Lady Michelle Obama.

"No way!" she shot back, "I gave you good gifts last year."

But Obama ceded little ground: "Absolutely -- aw, come on please," he said pointing to a double-stranded pearl necklace that was a gift for their wedding anniversary.

"Who gave you this?" he asked with a grin.

Michelle Obama may not be alone in questioning the president's claim to gift-giving greatness.

The 48-year-old was earlier criticized when he presented British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a DVD set of Hollywood films, which apparently did not work on a European player.

He also raised eyebrows by giving the Queen of England an iPod and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd a copy of the sheet music for "The Star Spangled Banner."

Obama meanwhile has received a taekwondo outfit from South Korean President Lee Myung Bak, a book from his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez and a jersey from a Stanley Cup-winning ice hockey team.

In the conversational interview, the US president said his all-time favorite gifts were a 10-speed bicycle he received one year and a basketball his estranged father gave him one Christmas.

"You know, I do remember the one time I met my father he was visiting during Christmas and he gave me a basketball and -- the degree to which I came to love basketball -- it wasn't until much later in life that I realized, 'Actually, he gave me that basketball,'" Obama recalled.

The intimate, hour-long special also features Winfrey's first one-on-one conversation with the president, an interview with the first couple and behind-the-scenes preparations for the holiday season at the White House.

现在的白宫可能已经挂满了各种圣诞装饰，洋溢着浓浓的圣诞气氛，但这里最著名的居民对圣诞老人却似乎颇有微词。

美国总统贝拉克．奥巴马的一期访谈节目于上周日在ABC电视台播出。奥巴马在访谈中谈到圣诞礼物时半开玩笑地说：“我送给别人的礼物总比我收到的好。”

当被主持人奥普拉．温芙瑞问及圣诞节送礼物的问题时，奥巴马的直言不讳引起一同接受采访的第一夫人米歇尔．奥巴马的不满。老家同在芝加哥的奥普拉是奥巴马的密友，也是他的支持者。

米歇尔反驳道：“不可能！我去年送给你的礼物就很好。”

但是奥巴马没有让步的意思，他手指米歇尔戴的一条双绞珍珠项链，一边说：“那是绝对的——啊，先别急。”这条项链是他们结婚周年纪念时他送给米歇尔的礼物。

“这是谁送给你的？”他笑着问道。

尽管奥巴马自认为很会送礼物，但对此表示质疑的人远不止米歇尔一人。

之前，48岁的总统先生因送给英国首相戈登．布朗一套好莱坞电影DVD合辑受到批评，因为这份礼物貌似无法用欧洲的影碟机播放。

他还曾送给英国女王一款iPod音乐播放器，送给澳大利亚总理陆克文一份美国国歌《星条旗歌》的散页乐谱，但这两份礼物都不太如人意。

在收礼方面，奥巴马曾收到韩国总统李明博赠送的一套跆拳道服，委内瑞拉总统乌戈．查韦斯赠送的一本书以及获得“斯坦利杯”的冰球队赠送的一套运动衫。

在访谈中，这位美国总统说这么多年来在他收到的所有礼物中，他印象最深的是有一年收到的一辆十速自行车和一年圣诞节他的父亲送给他的一个篮球。奥巴马与父亲的关系并不亲密。

奥巴马回忆说：“你知道吗，我记得那次是父亲圣诞节的时候来看我，当时他送给我一个篮球，后来我渐渐爱上了篮球，后来我才意识到，‘其实是父亲让我爱上了篮球’。”

这次敞开心扉的、长达一小时的访谈特别节目还包括奥普拉和总统一对一的对话，对第一夫妇的采访以及白宫迎接圣诞节的幕后准备工作。

Vocabulary:

bedecked with:花花绿绿地装饰

bauble: a small, showy ornament of little value; a trinket 美观而无价值的东西

awash: overflowing with or as if with water 充满的

a tad: to a small degree; somewhat 有点，有些

disgruntled: discontented 不满的

raise eyebrows: to cause surprise or mild disapproval 引人侧目，惊讶

sheet music:活页乐谱

taekwondo: a Korean martial art similar to karate 跆拳道

jersey: a close-fitting knitted pullover shirt, jacket, or sweater 紧身套头衫