VOA慢速英语2013 活动人士庆祝国际知情权日

 

AS IT IS 2013-09-28 Activists¹ Celebrate International Right-To-Know Day 活动人士庆祝国际知情权日

From VOA Learning English this is As It Is. I’m Marsha James.

Welcome to the show. Today we talk about a push for laws to protect every individual’s right to know about government operations. Some groups say governments are more honest when everyone is permitted to demand information. Then we tell you about an artist in Egypt.

International Right-To-Know Day

September 28 is International Right-To-Know Day. The day celebrates the successes of activists who work to create and strengthen freedom of information laws. Activists around the world have organized celebrations and educational events to explain the importance of such laws.

More than 90 countries now have legal protections to force openness in government operations. Activists say the right to know is very important. They say efforts to end poverty will only succeed by ending corruption². And, they say, corruption can only be ended by establishing and enforcing the right to know.

One group of activists is Transparency International. Transparent³ means clear. The word transparency is used to describe honesty and openness in an organization.

Transparency International says government defense⁴ contracts are one area of special concern. It says the risk of corruption is high when agreements involving large amounts of money are signed. It says secret defense budgets and a lack of information increase the likelihood⁵ of dishonest deals. Transparency International is calling for changes and a requirement for full information on weapons deals.

In July, a group called The Freedom of Information Advocates Network published the Global Right-To-Know Information Report. The report examines legal protections in countries around the world.

The report explains legal conditions, notable⁶ success stories and lessons learned during campaigns for the right-to-know.

The report rates each country on whether its legal protection of the right to know was strong or weak, or did not exist.  The report describes differences between areas. It says that in Europe and North America, the greatest need is to defend the right to know. While in many other areas, the need is to establish a right to know.

On Friday, International Right-to-Know Day activities took place in Washington at the American University’s Washington College of Law. College officials invited people to come and learn about the history of America’s Freedom of Information Act. The law requires government to answer requests for information. 

Egyptian Artist Documents the Troubles in His Country

Mohamed Abla has been commenting on Egyptian politics for many years. The award-winning artist lives on an island in the Nile River, surrounded by the city of Cairo. He now says recent political events have changed his art. Mario Ritter has our story from reporter Heather Murdock in Cairo.

All day long, a little boat carries passengers back and forth⁷ from the Cairo mainland to the island of Qorsaia. The trip costs less than 15 cents each way. Qorsaia is both in the center of the city and worlds away.

Mohamed Abla has a house on the island. There he creates artwork that has been shown both in Cairo and overseas.

He says that in recent years his artwork has changed – just like many other parts of Egyptian culture. The art is now based mostly on politics and the struggle to create a free, productive⁸ society out of disorder⁹.

“I hope that we are going to develop our own democracy. Our own I idea. An Egyptian way of doing democracy.”

In June, the artist stood with protesters demanding the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood¹⁰-led government. He says the Brotherhood was working to suppress¹¹ free expression. But he says the arrest of its members will only increase tensions.

“Now part of the Egyptian society has been discussing that we are not going to get rid of Muslim Brothers, all. We have to accept that there are young Muslim Brothers and some people that were not part of the violence.”

Mr. Abla also works in another office in downtown Cairo. He rented it in 2011 to be close to the revolution. 

Before that time, he says, Egyptian art reflected traditions and style like those in his “Nostalgia” collection. In his studio today, he creates more political work that documents the trouble in Egypt.

“This changed the arts very much. The people who used to make arts in a usual traditional [way]-now they do nothing because it is over now. Now is the time of art that moves the people. Art that is reflective of the situation.”

In his most recent artwork, Mohamed Abla documents protests in Tahrir Square during the past two and a half years.

In one piece, the pictures are hung on strings¹², instead of being pasted together. This, he says, is to show his displeasure in the commonly held belief which says, “Don’t hang your dirty laundry.” 

The artist says revealing your “dirt” publicly is a part of the path to freedom. I’m Mario Ritter.

And that’s As It Is for today. I’m Marsha James. Thanks for joining us.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 likelihood   

n.可能，可能性

参考例句：

• We must try our best to reduce the likelihood of war.我们必须尽最大努力减少战争的可能性。
• I don't think there is any likelihood of his agreeing to it.我认为不会有他同意那件事情的可能。

6 notable   

adj.值得注意的，著名的；n.名人，要人

参考例句：

• His achievement is very notable.他的成就是非常显著的。
• He wrote and published the essay under notable's name.他假托名人写文章发表。

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

9 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

10 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

11 suppress   

vt.压制，镇压，查禁，抑制，阻止

参考例句：

• He continued to suppress the people and serve the imperialists.他继续镇压人民，为帝国主义效劳。
• She was struggling to suppress her sobs.她拼命不让自己哭出来。

12 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。