2006年VOA标准英语-Chile Inaugurates First Woman President

By David Gollust
Santiago
11 March 2006

Michelle Bachelet has been sworn in as Chile's first elected woman president. The inauguration¹ in the Pacific coast city of Valparaiso drew leaders and officials from governments across Latin America and beyond, among them Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

---------------------------------------------------

President Michelle Bachelet waves after being sworn in, Saturday  
  

Valparaiso, the seat of the Chilean Congress since 1990, was the scene of political pageantry, as Chile inaugurated a new president.

Ms. Bachelet, 54, a center-left coalition² leader, who won an election run-off in January, is promising³ to continue free market policies that have fueled rapid growth here, but also campaigned to boost social spending to close the income gap between rich and poor.

Ms. Bachelet received the sash of office in ceremonies in the Chilean congress, located in Valparaiso, 100 kilometers from the capital Santiago, as a political legacy⁴ of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Ms. Bachelet's father, an air force general was arrested for opposing the 1973 military coup⁵ led by Pinochet, and later died in prison. The new president, as a young member of Chile's Socialist⁶ party, was also jailed for a time during military rule.

The inauguration drew leaders from across Latin America, including other left-leaning presidents. Among them Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and the new Bolivian president, Ivo Morales.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice led a U.S. delegation⁷, and held a series of bilateral⁸ meetings with regional leaders, including Mr. Morales, a former Bolivian coca growers federation⁹ chief, who said on election, he would be a nightmare for U.S. policymakers.

With reporters looking on, Rice and Mr. Morales, in a leather jacket, rather than business suit, greeted each other warmly.

In an apparent bit of humor, the Bolivian leader, of indigenous¹⁰ ancestry¹¹, presented the Secretary with a traditional Indian stringed instrument, a guitar-like Charango, that appeared to have coca leaves lacquered to its surface.

Mr. Morales supports the legal cultivation¹² of coca, the base ingredient for cocaine¹³, but also used for medicinal purposes by rural Bolivians. But he also said he opposes illegal drug trafficking, and Secretary Rice said Friday they have a basis for talks.

The Secretary also had bilateral sessions with, among others, Ms. Bachelet and Uruguay's left-leaning president, Tabare Vazquez, but did not have a meeting with Venezuela's Mr. Chavez.

Secretary Rice has had an ongoing¹⁴ verbal battle with Mr. Chavez, who she accuses of curbing¹⁵ the democratic opposition¹⁶ in his country.

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

4 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

9 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

10 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

11 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

12 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

13 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

16 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。