2006年VOA标准英语-Liberian President to Address US Congress

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
14 March 2006
 
Wednesday the Liberian president will address what is called a joint¹ meeting of Congress, an honor given to foreign leaders, the most recent being Italy's prime minister.
 
 
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
  
President Johnson-Sirleaf is expected to receive a warm reception from lawmakers gathered in the House of Representatives chamber².

But her address takes place amid an undercurrent of unease among supporters in Congress of Liberia's political and economic recovery efforts.

Just last week, the House Appropriations³ Committee approved $50 million in economic and humanitarian⁴ aid as part of a multibillion dollar supplemental bill funding U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Congressman⁵ Jesse Jackson Jr. says while the United States has helped Liberia in its peaceful transition from former President Charles Taylor, to President Johnson-Sirleaf, more needs to be done:

"Over the last 2.5 years we have provided resources to Liberia culminating in the successful, transparent⁶ and peaceful election of the first female head of state on the African continent and now more than ever we need to ensure that this investment is not squandered," he said.

In the regular 2006 U.S. fiscal⁷ year budget, $128 million was designated for Liberia, a point driven home by Congressman Jim Kolbe who heads the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee.

However, the funding has been held up and Kolbe says congressional appropriators have been waiting for U.S. government agencies to come back with specific plans on how the money will be spent in Liberia, which he agrees is at a crucial point.

"It is fragile, it is extraordinarily⁸ fragile," he said. "We have made a tiny baby step forward with the election of the new president there. And we should do everything we can to assist that process."

Lawmakers will be pressing for more money for Liberia as part of the 2007 budget process which will be unfolding in coming months.

South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn is among House lawmakers concerned about the fragility of the situation in Liberia, and of President Johnson-Sirleaf's administration.

He says the Liberian leader needs to be able to return home with some tangible⁹ results in the form of aid commitments:

"I believe it is important for us to show some support for this great woman, who was educated in this country, and who I believe will be an outstanding symbol for freedom and justice," said Clyburn. "We need to support her."

"The first female in Africa, in the history of the [Liberian] nation," said Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick. "The continent of Africa is two-and-a-half times the size of the U.S. [and] not without its problems. But [this will be] an opportunity to build real communities and countries with resources that can partner with the United States of America."

President Johnson-Sirleaf's visit to Washington follows the visit to Liberia in January of a U.S. delegation¹⁰ led by Laura Bush, and including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to attend the Liberian leader's inauguration¹¹.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey says she expects the Liberian president to give President Bush, whom she meets next week, and other government officials specifics about plans for reconstruction¹² in the wake of Liberia's long and bloody¹³ civil conflict:

"It is my understanding that President Johnson-Sirleaf does have a plan, in addition to the $128 million," she said. "There are infrastructure¹⁴ projects. It is critical that we respond positively¹⁵, in my judgment¹⁶, to her request."

"Liberia is at a crucial turning point," said Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. "The next few months will be critical in determining whether peace and democracy prevail, or whether political instability, the threat of violence, rampant¹⁷ corruption¹⁸, and criminality burgeon¹⁹ anew."

Among pledges she has made since taking office in Liberia, President Johnson-Sirleaf says she wants to bring back electricity to the capital, Monrovia, by this July's 159th anniversary of Liberia's independence.

U.S. lawmakers say this and other reconstruction hopes may be dashed without a commitment of substantial new U.S. aid.
 
 
Charles Taylor
(2003 file photo) 
  
Members of Congress, meanwhile, are also concerned about threats posed by former president Charles Taylor who remains²⁰ in exile in Nigeria.

There have been conflicting reports this week about whether Liberia has submitted a request to Nigeria to extradite Taylor to face war crimes charges before the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 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。

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

9 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

10 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。

11 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。

12 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

13 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

15 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

16 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

17 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

18 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。

19 burgeon   

v.萌芽，发芽；迅速发展

参考例句：

• Seeds begin to burgeon at the commencement of spring.春天开始时种子开始发芽。
• Plants burgeon from every available space.只要有一点空隙，植物就会生根发芽。

20 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。