2006年VOA标准英语-US National Prayer Breakfast Draws World P

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
31 January 2006

Every year on the first Thursday in February, 3,000 people from around the world gather in Washington for the National Prayer Breakfast. Among them are heads of state, U.S. senators and congressmen, diplomats¹, and other international political and religious leaders.

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Abu Baker² al-Shingeti is from Sudan. He first started attending the National Prayer Breakfast about seven years ago. He says the event appealed to him as a Muslim because it gave him an opportunity to reach out to people of other faiths.

"I wanted to relate to them and become friends with them, so that through it I would be better understood, but to also understand them better and see if there is something good we could do together," al-Shingeti said.

  
  
He said foreign leaders who attend the breakfast for the first time are often surprised to learn that religious values are important to many American leaders.

"It gives them a sense of how central, how important, religious values and spiritual values are to many decision makers³, and that helps create some common ground for relating to them and discussing with them those issues, and maybe create grounds for common action as well," al-Shingeti said.

Michael Cromartie, of the Ethics⁴ and Public Policy Center, a non-profit Washington think tank, says one of the goals of the National Prayer Breakfast is to foster harmony and mutual⁵ understanding among people and nations.

"I think a lot of people who do this think many of our conflicts are rooted in misunderstandings," he said. "Anytime you can bring clarity to misunderstandings, then you have done some kind of public good."

Guests at the breakfast, the majority of whom are Christian⁶, come from more than 150 countries. The highlight for many of them is an address from the president of the United States. Last year, President Bush spoke⁷.

 
President Bush at 2005 National Prayer Breakfast 
  
"This morning reminds us that prayer has always been one of the great equalizers in American life," he said. "Here we thank God for his great blessings⁸ in one voice, regardless of our backgrounds. We recognize in one another the spark of the Divine that gives all human beings their inherent dignity and worth, regardless of religion."

In addition to the president's address, there are other speakers, as well as prayers, songs, and readings from the Old and New Testaments⁹ of the Bible.

Over a three-day period, a series of luncheons¹⁰, dinners and other events are held which provide an opportunity for foreign dignitaries and American leaders to meet and informally discuss many issues.

Douglas Johnston is the president of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy¹¹ in Washington, which promotes faith-based conflict resolution. He has been involved with the National Prayer Breakfast for more than 30 years and he says it has been the catalyst¹² for much good.

"When South Africa was trying to emerge from apartheid and it looked as though the African National Congress and the Zulu entity¹³ under Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi - the Inkatha party - looked like they were going to engage in a civil war. That was prevented at the last moment, because a [Kenyan] fellow by the name of Washington Okumu was able to make contact with Buthelezi and to figure out a way to avoid the bloodshed and find a compromise, and that was because they had a relationship when they met 20 years earlier at one of the national prayer breakfasts in Washington," Johnston said.

The breakfast is hosted by U.S. congressmen and senators, who take part in a prayer breakfast that meets regularly on Capitol Hill.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 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。

8 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 testaments   

n.遗嘱( testament的名词复数 )；实际的证明

参考例句：

• The coastline is littered with testaments to the savageness of the waters. 海岸线上充满了海水肆虐过后的杂乱东西。 来自互联网
• A personification of wickedness and ungodliness alluded to in the Old and New Testaments. 彼勒《旧约》和《新约》中邪恶和罪孽的化身。 来自互联网

10 luncheons   

n.午餐，午宴( luncheon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Edith Helm was not invited to these intimate luncheons. 伊迪丝·赫尔姆没有被邀请出度反映亲密关系的午餐会。
• The weekly luncheons became a regular institution. 这每周一次午餐变成了一种经常的制度。

11 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

12 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

13 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。