VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-06-26 Snowden Case Tests US-China Relations

 

AS IT IS 2013-06-26 Snowden Case Tests US-China Relations

Welcome to As It Is, the daily magazine show from VOA Learning English.

I’m Mario Ritter. Today, we hear about huge protests in South America’s largest nation and biggest economy, Brazil.

Demonstrations¹ started when the government of President Dilma Rousseff announced plans to increase costs such as bus and train fares. At the same time, Brazil is spending large amounts of public money on sports stadiums and other projects in preparation for next year’s World Cup.

But we start with the continuing case of Edward Snowden. The flight of the former intelligence analyst² to Hong Kong has tested relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The administration of President Barack Obama has strongly criticized Hong Kong and China for permitting Edward Snowden to leave its territory. This happened although there is an order, or warrant, for his arrest.

Administration spokesman Jay Carney said that all the legal requirements for having Edward Snowden returned to the United States had been fulfilled.

“The request that was made complied with all of the requirements of the US-Hong Kong surrender agreement. At no point in all of our discussions through Friday did the authorities in Hong Kong raise any issues regarding the sufficiency of the US’s provisional arrest request. In light of this we find their position to be particularly troubling.”

Jay Carney went on to say that the choice to permit Edward Snowden to leave Hong Kong would hurt ties between China and America.

“This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive⁴ despite a valid⁵ arrest warrant and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the US-China relationship.”

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying offered a defense⁶ of his government’s decision to let Edward Snowden leave. He said the rules of the territory, which Britain returned to China in 1997, were observed.

“The people of Hong Kong expect Hong Kong to uphold its own laws including the basic law which was promulgated⁷ to uphold the principle of ‘one country, two systems:’ Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong and [a] high degree of autonomy. We were asking the United States government for further important information on the case, and there was no legal basis to stop Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.”

Edward Snowden is accused of leaking documents showing that United States intelligence services have gathered telephone and Internet information about citizens for years. He said he believes the programs violate the rights of American citizens.

American officials say the surveillance programs were legal and prevented at least 50 terrorist attacks around the world since the attacks on the United States of September 11.

On Monday, Ecuador's foreign minister said Edward Snowden asked for asylum⁸ in his country.  Ricardo Pati?o said his government has been in contact with Russia, where Edward Snowden is believed to have traveled after he left Hong Kong.

Protests in Brazil

Large protests have taken place in many cities in Brazil recently. Last Friday, the President of South America’s largest economy, Dilma Rousseff, spoke³ in an effort to end the unrest that has been spreading across the country. Jim Tedder⁹ tells us more.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff promised to end huge street protests when she spoke on national television last week. She warned that continued unrest and violence could cause the country to lose a lot. She was talking about Brazil’s role as host of the World Cup soccer championship next year, and two years later, the 2016 Olympic Games.

The protests began when the government announced it would raise prices for public transportation. The increase angered people. They have seen the government spend billions of dollars on remodeling sports centers or building new ones for the coming international athletic¹⁰ events. At the same time, inflation has increased

The protests are the largest in Brazil in 20 years.

Demonstrations have been held in more than 80 cities. An estimated 300,000 people protested in Rio de Janeiro. Most marches have been peaceful. But some violence and strong police reactions have been reported.

The government suspended its plan to increase bus, train and subway fares and costs of road use. But the protests continue anyway.  Riordan Roett is with Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He says the middle class in Brazil is unhappy.

That middle class is growing, and they are mostly in southern Brazil where the population is centered. Riordan Roett says protesters are dissatisfied with the government of President Rousseff and her Workers Party, known as the PT.

“There has been a sense that the people who really run the country financially -- the south and southeast -- are getting the short end of the stick with lousy schools, terrible transportation, terrible medical care and a growing sense that Brasilia and the PT really don’t care about Sao Paulo, the south and the southeast of the country.”

While Brazilians love soccer, many are critical of the spending for the upcoming World Cup. Protests have continued during the Confederation Cup, a smaller international soccer competition which ends on June 30.

The demonstrators are demanding better medical care, sanitation¹¹, and security. Many also are angered by high taxes and government corruption¹².

Inflation in Brazil has increased. The rate is now over six percent, about two percent higher than the government’s target. At the same time, growth has slowed to less than three percent.

That puts pressure on President Rousseff’s government. It must prove to the public that current spending will lead to the improved services demanded by the expanding middle class.

Thank you for listening today. You can read and download our programs at learningenglish.voanews.com. And join us at the beginning of the hour Universal Time for the latest news.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 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。

3 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。

4 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

5 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

6 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。

7 promulgated   

v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等）

参考例句：

• Hence China has promulgated more than 30 relevant laws, statutes and regulations. 中国为此颁布的法律、法规和规章多达３０余项。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The shipping industry promulgated a voluntary code. 航运业对自律守则进行了宣传。 来自辞典例句

8 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

9 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

10 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

11 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

12 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。