美国国家公共电台 NPR In Russia, A New Parliament Is Expected To Act Much Like The Old One

In Russia, A New Parliament Is Expected To Act Much Like The Old One 

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We're going to start the program today with a couple of stories that reflect on challenges facing democracy both here and elsewhere. We'll start in Russia where voters will go to the polls on Sunday to elect members of the lower house of parliament, the Duma. The last parliamentary election triggered protests in which tens of thousands of Russians spoke² out against allegations of widespread vote-rigging and fraud. Analysts⁴ are predicting that this vote will be less contentious⁵, but that's not necessarily because voters are more satisfied. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports.

COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE⁶: On the surface, this election has a lot of the familiar ballyhoo of political campaigns anywhere - billboards⁷ with the candidates' earnest faces and encouraging slogans.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).

FLINTOFF: TV and radio channels carry campaign ads like this one for a candidate from Russia's still active Communist Party.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).

FLINTOFF: Officially 14 political parties are competing for 450 seats in the national parliament, but few people doubt that the ruling United Russia Party will take the overwhelming majority of those.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Foreign language spoken).

FLINTOFF: That's an ad for United Russia, which features President Vladimir Putin promising⁸ to listen to the people and the slogan we can do it, United Russia.

Political analyst³ Alexander Kynev says the reason the ruling party is in such a commanding position is that it has already eliminated most of its opposition⁹.

ALEXANDER KYNEV: (Through interpreter) The main peculiarity¹⁰ of this election is that many candidates have simply been deprived of the right to run.

FLINTOFF: As an example, Kynev points out that the election laws ban people from running if they've been convicted of serious crimes. Some key opposition leaders have been convicted on what their supporters say are trumped¹¹ up charges, so they're not allowed to run. Even when opposition candidates can run, Kynev says, the ruling party has changed election rules to make it easier to manipulate the vote. In the past, he says, election observers could show up at any polling place unannounced. Now the law says the observers have to notify the election authorities at least three days before the vote.

KYNEV: (Through interpreter) The authorities will know in advance where the observers will be and where they won't be. That makes it easy to choose where they can allow falsifications without any weaknesses.

FLINTOFF: With little real competition, some opposition leaders say these elections will be downright boring.

BORIS MAKARENKO: All Russian elections are boring in a sense that power does not change hands, so you know the winner.

FLINTOFF: That's Boris Makarenko, head of the Center for Political Technologies in Moscow. He says the elections still have an important function as a public ritual that legitimizes the government and gives voters the sense that their voices are being heard. Makarenko says the Kremlin will get what it wants on September 18.

MAKARENKO: It will get this results smoothly¹² and neatly¹³ without scandals, without massive protest rallies, with much less manipulation at the polling stations, so the ritual will be observed and the result will be favorable for the regime.

FLINTOFF: Makarenko says the interesting part will come when the new parliament is in place, and it'll be seen whether the new crop of government-chosen politicians is able to have any influence on the Kremlin. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 peculiarity   

n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖

参考例句：

• Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
• The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。

11 trumped   

v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他，使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

13 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。