2006年VOA标准英语-British Foreign Secretary Urges Cooperation for

By Michael Bowman
Washington
10 July 2006

Britain's foreign secretary is urging the international community to work together to combat climate change and promote free trade. Margaret Beckett is on her first official visit to the United States since her appointment in May.

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Margaret Beckett speaking at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies 
  
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett says, in an increasingly interdependent world, nations' individual well-being¹ cannot be separated from the health of the global community as a whole.

"In today's world, national security must be founded on strong international security, and be inspired by our values: fairness, justice, democracy," said Margaret Beckett.

Beckett, Britain's first female foreign secretary, was speaking at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

She said the rewards of collective action almost always outweigh² those of individual or bilateral³ initiatives. She said this is particularly true when it comes to energy usage and climate change, both of which she argued have a major impact on national and international security.

Beckett pointed⁴ out that technologies designed to cut emissions⁵ of so-called "greenhouse" gases have the added bonus of reducing dependency on fossil fuels. But she said advanced industrialized nations will have to lead the way, if the world is to shift toward more environmentally-friendly forms of energy consumption.

"Most of the global warming to date has been caused by developed countries like our own," she said. "So, if we are going to convince developing countries to adopt these technologies, we ourselves all need to move in that direction."

Beckett said, in order to further the long-term well-being of the global community, individual nations must be willing to make sacrifices that may not appear to be in their immediate⁶ self-interest.

She said this is particularly true when it comes to international trade, and made an impassioned plea for a concerted effort to make sure that global trade talks do not end in failure.

"Allowing developing countries to trade their way out of poverty is the most effective route to rapid and sustainable growth," said Britain's foreign secretary. "But look at the situation today. Agricultural tariffs⁷ and subsidies⁸ reduce developing countries' earnings⁹ [from trade] by $75 billion a year - 50 percent more than they receive in aid. That is a tragedy for the world's poorest. They will pay the heaviest price. But it will be a cost to us [developed nations], too."

After her address, Beckett was asked if her criticism of unilateral action was aimed at the Bush administration, which pulled the United States out of the 1997 Kyoto treaty aimed at reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases.

The foreign secretary replied that she was simply stating her views and those of the British government.

1 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

2 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

3 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。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

8 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。