世界节假日博览 第151期:国际民主日

 　　The International Day of Democracy started in 2007. The United Nations General Assembly decided¹ to have a special day to raise awareness² of living in a democracy. They chose September 15th as that day and invited every country and member organization to focus on the benefits of democracy. The U.N. declared there was no single model of democracy. A resolution said all democracies share common features "and that democracy does not belong to any country or region. The U.N. said:"Democracy is a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation³ in all aspects of life."

　　国际民主日始于2007年。联合国大会决定专门设立一天来提高人们的民主意识。他们把国际民主日设在9月15日，并邀请各国和组织成员专注于民主的好处。联合国称民主不是单一模式，一项决议称所有民主国家都有个共同的特点“民主不属于任何国家或地区”。联合国声称：“民主是基于人们自由表达的普世价值，人们自由决定自己的政治,经济,社会和文化体系,全面参与社会。”

　　151.jpg

　　The International Day of Democracy website claims democracies can have many advantages for their citizens. The main one is to ensure people's basic freedoms. "In a democracy, people are able to think, say and do what they wish within the law and with respect for others, to practice their beliefs and to live the kinds of life they choose." Another advantage is that a democracy meets popular needs. The more influence ordinary people have over their government, the more likely government will meet their basic needs. The website says democracies treat people equally and are free from discrimination. It does say many of the world’s democracies fall short of achieving this. There is perhaps no country that has true equality.

　　国际民主日网站称民主对市民很有利。其中主要是保证人们的基本自由。“在民主国家，人们能够在法律允许的范围内自由思考，自由说话和自由做事。尊重他人，实践他们的信仰，自由选择生活方式。”另一好处是民主满足大众需要。普通人对政府的影响越大，政府越容易满足人们的基本需求。网站称，民主对人平等，不歧视任何人。它也称世界上的许多民主国家远没达到这一点。或许没有一个国家实现了真正意义上的平等。

　　1.the United Nations General Assembly 联合国大会

　　例句：

　　This problem also explains the near-total irrelevance⁴ of the United Nations General Assembly.

　　这一问题也可以解释，联合国大会为什么会近乎被边缘化。

　　2.belong to 属于

　　例句：

　　But I do not value my good looks; I only like to have them because they belong to you, my dear, and that there may be at least one thing about me worth your having.

　　但是我并不重视我的容貌，我还愿意拥有我的容貌，只是因为这容貌属于你，我亲爱的，只是因为我也许至少还有一样东西值得你拥有。

　　3.universal value 普世价值

　　例句：

　　In the 21st century, freedom is an Asian value - because it is a universal value.

　　在21世纪，自由是亚洲的价值观──因为它是全人类的价值观。

　　4.have many advantages for 带来很多优势

　　例句：

　　While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too.

　　计算机在为消费者提供诸多方便的同时，也给商家带来很多优势。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 irrelevance   

n.无关紧要；不相关；不相关的事物

参考例句：

• the irrelevance of the curriculum to children's daily life 课程与孩子们日常生活的脱节
• A President who identifies leadership with public opinion polls dooms himself to irrelevance. 一位总统如果把他的领导和民意测验投票结果等同起来，那么他注定将成为一个可有可无的人物。 来自辞典例句