2006年VOA标准英语-Rice: US Seeks Peaceful Change in Cuba

By Michael Bowman Washington 06 August 2006 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States is ready to assist Cuba in a transition to democracy, but is not attempting to foment1 unrest on the island while President Fidel Castro is ill. ------- A young girl holds up a Cuban flag during an event in support of Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana           It has been nearly a week since President Castro temporarily handed executive authority to his brother, Raul, before undergoing surgery for what government sources described as gastrointestinal bleeding. Since then, Cuban officials have accused the Bush administration of attempting to destabilize the country by repeatedly broaching2 the subject of political change on the island. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed the allegation, but reiterated3 U.S. support for democracy in Cuba. "We are not going to do anything to stoke a sense of crisis, or a sense of instability in Cuba. This is a transitional period for the Cuban people. We are going to stand with them for the proposition that there should not be the end of one dictatorship and the imposition of another dictatorship," she said. She said her message to the Cuban people is that they have an opportunity to build a stable and more democratic nation. With heightened U.S. Coast Guard patrols along the Florida Straits, Rice said a mass exodus4 of Cubans, in her words, "is not to be expected, nor would it be condoned5." In the last week, many Cuban exiles in the United States have expressed excitement and eagerness to return home in a post-Castro era. Asked whether the United States would allow a reverse-exodus of exiles back to Cuba, the secretary of state had this to say. "Our role will be to help the Cuban people, when the time comes, to have a peaceful and stable democratic transition," she said. Fidel Castro, who turns 80 next week, has ruled Cuba since leading the island's 1959 Communist revolution. Details of his health are sketchy6 at best. Cuban officials say the president is recovering well after surgery, and is able to sit up in bed. But a Brazilian newspaper reports Cuban authorities told their Brazilian counterparts that Mr. Castro's gastrointestinal bleeding was caused by stomach cancer, a life-threatening disease. Cuban officials deny the report. Those who have wished the Cuban leader a speedy recovery range from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to former Cuban shipwreck7 survivor8 Elian Gonzalez, once the subject of a custody9 battle between relatives in the United States and Cuba.

1 foment   

v.煽动，助长

参考例句：

• The rebels know the truth and seek to foment revolution.那些叛乱者知道真相，并且想办法来挑起革命。
• That's an attempt to foment discord.这是挑拨。

2 broaching   

n.拉削；推削；铰孔；扩孔v.谈起( broach的现在分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体

参考例句：

• Before broaching the subject of this lecture, I should like to recall that the discoveries of radium and of polonium were made by Pierre Curie in collaboration with me. 在开始讨论这次演讲的话题之前，我还想回忆一下，镭和钋发现是皮埃尔·居里与我合作完成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A: Can you use broaching to make a gear? 你能用拉削技术制作齿轮吗？ 来自互联网

3 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

4 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

5 condoned   

v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Terrorism can never be condoned. 决不能容忍恐怖主义。
• They condoned his sins because he repented. 由于他的悔悟，他们宽恕了他的罪。 来自辞典例句

6 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

7 shipwreck   

n.船舶失事，海难

参考例句：

• He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
• The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

8 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

9 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。