2006年VOA标准英语-Laos Government Prepares Eighth Communist

By Scott Bobb
Bangkok
16 March 2006

The government of Laos is opening the eighth congress its Communist Party, which has led the country since the mid-1970s. Organizers say this congress will enact¹ major reforms, but until now Laos has only pursued cautious, gradual change.

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The senior leadership of the Lao Communist Party is meeting in Vientiane. The congress convenes² every five years and Lao Spokesman Yong Chantalangsy says the theme this time is growth and renewal³.

"The general congress is the most historical event in the political life of the country," he said. "This congress will review the implementation⁴ of the renovation⁵ policy of the government for the last 20 years."

The spokesman says Laos has had two years of economic growth, indicating that the economy has fully⁶ recovered from the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Yong highlights the country's expansion in the energy sector⁷, growth in tourism and the eradication⁸ of opium⁹ cultivation¹⁰ in the country.

Laos launched limited market reforms after its communist benefactor¹¹, the Soviet¹² Union, collapsed¹³ in 1991. Professor Milton Osborne, at Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy, says since then Laos has been seeking to open up to the outside world as a way to support itself.

"We are looking at a transition in Laos, but it is a slow - and I am not even sure if steady is the correct word - a slow and fitful transition," Osborne said.

The Lao government began to allow outside communications - like international telephones and television broadcasts - only a few years ago.

Last year it hosted the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations - billed as a sign of its emergence¹⁴ on the international stage.

But Osborne says reform does not extend to politics, where the Communist government - that took power at the end of the Vietnam War - is adamantly¹⁵ opposed to abandoning the one-party system.

"The Lao remain concerned to try to find some fashion that will enable them to balance their slow opening up to the outside world with the maintenance of strict party control," he added. "And any signs that have occurred of people questioning party control have been very sharply dealt with."

The party congress is also to elect a new Central Committee, which will choose the 10-member Political Bureau that sets official policy.

A great deal of attention has been focused on whether the senior leaders, now in the 70s and 80s, will step down in favor of younger party leaders.

But experts note that the younger members of the Political Bureau are in their 50s and 60s. As a result, they say any new leaders who emerge are likely to be faces that have been around for quite some time.

1 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

2 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

3 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

4 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

5 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

9 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

10 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。

11 benefactor   

n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人

参考例句：

• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
• The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。

12 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

13 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

14 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

15 adamantly   

adv.坚决地，坚定不移地，坚强不屈地

参考例句：

• "Come over here,"he told her adamantly. “到这边来，”他对她坚定地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His family were adamantly opposed to the marriage. 他的家人坚决反对这门亲事。 来自《简明英汉词典》