VOA慢速英语20061025b

EXPLORATIONS - Using Independent Courts and a Free Media to Fight CorruptionBy Jill Moss³

Broadcast: Wednesday, October 25, 2006

VOICE ONE:

I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Recently, VOA reporters examined the problem of corruption² around the world. Today, we tell about their investigation⁴.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Almost every day, reports appear in the news about government officials accused of wrongdoing. They may have sold their influence. Or they attempted to hide illegal activities. Such use of power is known as corruption.


EXPLORATIONS

Corruption can take many forms. Corruption can describe a system that fails to operate like it should. Another example is when someone acts in an unethical way for personal gain.

Consider bribery⁶, for example. A bribe⁵ is something given to a person in a position of power for special treatment.

Money, goods, or services can be given as bribes⁷. Experts estimate that more than one thousand million dollars in bribes are paid each year.

Nepotism⁸ is another form of corruption. This happens when someone offers a job to a family member or friend instead of someone with better skills. Other forms of corruption include keeping false business records, and trading stock shares based on secret information.

VOICE TWO:

Louise Shelley works for the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at American University in Washington, D.C. Miz Shelley says corruption is a major problem in poor countries with weak economic systems. She says a rich country is not seriously affected⁹ if five or seven percent of its economy is paid in bribes. But nations that depend on a single natural resource for their earnings¹⁰ are more at risk. This is because a small number of people control the money earned from sales of the resource.

Miz Shelley says the fight against corruption can be won with strong public and private institutions, such as independent courts and a free media. She says people who are tired of being cheated can also demand change.

VOICE ONE:

Businesses can also have an influence. Corruption expert Nancy Broswell says the actions of businesses affect even the very poorest people. Miz Broswell works for a group called Transparency International. In English, the word transparency means something that a person can see through. Today the word is also used to mean an open or honest system or activities.

Transparency International measures corruption rates in each country. Iceland is currently¹¹ rated as the least corrupt¹ on the group's Corruption Percentage Index. Chad is last among one hundred fifty-nine countries.

VOICE TWO:

Nancy Broswell says the more corrupt a country is, the more likely information is hidden from the public. She notes the failure of the American company Enron as an example of business fraud¹², or trickery.




In two thousand, Enron reported earnings of more than one hundred thousand million dollars. One year later, the company was in ruins. Enron employees lost jobs and the money they had invested in the company for retirement¹³. Investors¹⁴ also lost thousands of millions of dollars. Enron officials were later found guilty of untruthful recordkeeping and attempting to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

VOICE ONE:

Some experts say corruption in the business world is more common than many people think. Banker Wang Xuebing was once considered a leader in efforts to make China more modern. Three years ago, Wang was found guilty of accepting bribes at the Bank of China office in New York. He was sentenced to twelve years in jail and ordered to pay twenty million dollars in fines.

Kimberly Elliott wrote a book about corruption in the world economy. Miz Elliott says there is no way to estimate the true cost of corruption. But its effect on poor countries is clear. She says you see it when teachers refuse to come to school because they have not been paid.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Corruption can affect anyone. In India, for example, farmers often list the number of cows they own to receive government loans and financial aid. Some farmers fool officials about the number of cows they have. They do this by borrowing animals from other farmers.

Indian officials have launched an unusual identification¹⁵ system to control the problem. Cows are being forced to swallow microchips that identify both the animal and its owner. The electronic devices remain permanently¹⁶ in the animals.

Another problem in India involves government money meant for agricultural development. Experts say some officials take this money for personal use. The World Bank estimates that sixty percent of the Indian population works in agriculture. Yet, farming represents only about twenty percent of all goods and services produced there.

VOICE ONE:

Bribery is a problem in India. Transparency International says Indians paid about four thousand eight hundred million dollars in small bribes last year. The bribes were given for health care, police protection and other services.

Sixty-two percent of Indians questioned say they paid a bribe. Seventy-five percent of those asked say the problem is getting worse. As a result, India has launched a new anti-corruption campaign. Lawmakers have approved a measure that makes it easier for people to receive information about government spending.

VOICE TWO:

In Mexico, money from drug sales has influenced government reform efforts and the criminal justice system. Criminal justice expert Jorge Chabat says corruption there dates back to colonial¹⁷ rule. Mister Chabat says the illegal drug trade has only made the problem worse. He says police officials and members of the army have been corrupted¹⁸.

Celia Toro is a professor at the Center for International Studies at the Colegio de Mexico. She says corrupt police officers have always had a working relationship with criminals. She says powerful drug dealers¹⁹ have helped create a lawless part of Mexican society. Professor Toro says she believes better police officers would result from an improved legal system and a more supportive society.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

International business leaders consider Hong Kong one of the least corrupt places. This was not always true. About forty years ago, Hong Kong police and government officials demanded bribes from people selling goods in the city's markets. Bribes also had to be given for public housing and even medical help.

This changed after huge protests in nineteen seventy-three. At that time, a police official suspected of corruption escaped from Hong Kong. The British colonial government was forced to act. Anti-bribery laws were approved. An independent group was created to investigate corruption cases. The group said reports of corruption had dropped by more than half by the late nineteen seventies.

VOICE TWO:

Corruption also is a problem in the Commonwealth²⁰ of Independent States and Eastern Europe. Yet, the World Bank says the problem has been improving in twenty-six former communist countries. A World Bank report says the countries making the strongest market-based economic reforms have made the most progress. Economists²¹ say Slovakia and Estonia are success stories. Both countries have reformed their tax systems.

The report says corruption is worsening in Albania and the Kyrgyz Republic. Russia, Serbia and Macedonia are also said to have made little progress. The report says many businesses there report having to pay bribes for services. It says the possibility of membership²² in the European Union is a powerful tool for fighting corruption. The report notes progress in the fight against corruption in Romania and Bulgaria. The countries hope to join the E.U. next year.

VOICE ONE:


Paul Wolfowitz



World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz describes corruption as the single biggest barrier to development. Mister Wolfowitz became the Bank's President last year. Since then, he has made the fight against corruption a major goal. The World Bank has suspended or delayed loans to Chad, Bangladesh and India after corrupt activities were discovered there.

Some groups say they worry that too much effort to punish corruption could stop aid from reaching those most in need. But World Bank officials say they will withdraw from projects only when dishonest officials are clearly not interested in reform.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Jill Moss. Mario Ritter was our producer. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

6 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

7 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

8 nepotism   

n.任人唯亲；裙带关系

参考例句：

• The congressman lashed the president for his nepotism.国会议员抨击总统搞裙带关系。
• Many will regard his appointment as the kind of nepotism British banking ought to avoid.很多人会把他的任命看作是英国银行业应该避免的一种裙带关系。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

11 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

12 fraud   

n.骗子，欺骗，欺诈，诡计

参考例句：

• We will introduce legal safeguards against fraud.我们将推行防止欺诈的法律条款。
• The prosecutor accused the defendant of fraud.原告控告被告犯有欺诈罪。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

14 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

15 identification   

n.视为同一，证明同一，确认

参考例句：

• He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
• We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

16 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

17 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

18 corrupted   

（使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• The body corrupted quite quickly. 尸体很快腐烂了。
• The text was corrupted by careless copyists. 原文因抄写员粗心而有讹误。

19 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

20 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

21 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。