2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Defends Latam Policy in Brazil

By Paula Wolfson
Sao Paulo, Brazil
09 March 2007

President Bush says his administration has not ignored Latin America, and says his tour of the region was not designed to counter the anti-American rhetoric² of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.   VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson has more on the story from Sao Paulo Brazil.

 
US President George W. Bush, left, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before a working lunch in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 9 March 2007 
The White House calls this a goodwill³ tour, and says the president wants to keep the focus on the positive.

But during a news conference in Sao Paulo with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mr. Bush faced some tough questioning.   One reporter from Brazil, voicing the sentiment of many analysts⁴ in the region, asked the president why the United States has turned its back on Latin America since Washington began the fight against terrorism.

President Bush denied he has ignored the region.

"That may be what people say, but it certainly is not what the facts bear out," said Mr. Bush.

He said U.S. aid to the region has roughly doubled since he took office.  Critics charge most of the money has gone to counter-narcotics efforts, particularly in Colombia, which remains⁵ the biggest U.S. aid recipient⁶ in Latin America.  But the president stressed that funding to help the poor and the disenfranchised remains a priority.

"I fully⁷ recognize that money alone is not a sign of compassion⁸ or care, but it is money aimed at helping⁹ people improve their lives," he added.  "It is social justice money."

Mr. Bush will be highlighting several such programs over the remainder of his Latin American tour -- visiting farm cooperatives, youth centers, heath clinics, and projects highlighting the indigenous¹⁰ cultures of the region.

At each of his stops, he is expected to point to the family ties between the United States and its neighbors to the south.

"Think about this," he said.  "There are millions of people living in our country from the region.  The United States is a multicultural¹¹ society.  We have got people from all over South and Central America living in the United States."

His welcome from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was warm.  But there were also scattered¹² protests in Sao Paulo during Mr. Bush's visit.   Meanwhile, anti-American activists¹³ were gathering¹⁴ in Argentina for a rally headlined by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.

When asked if he came to Latin America to counter the Venezuelan leader, President Bush chose his words carefully.   He responded without ever mentioning Hugo Chavez's name.

 
U.S. President Bush (l) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (r) wave as they tour Petros Transporte S.A. Facility in Sao Paulo, 9 Mar¹ 2007
"I bring the goodwill of the United States to South America and Central America," he explained.  "That is why I am here."

His stop in Brazil also gave the president an opportunity to draw attention to his push for alternative fuels.   The United States and Brazil, the two largest ethanol producers in the world, signed an agreement during his visit to promote biofuel production and technology.  But Mr. Bush did not offer support for one key Brazilian demand: repeal¹⁵ of the current U.S. tariff¹⁶ on ethanol imports.   He did agree, however, to join Brazil in a new push to restart world trade talks that broke down largely because of disagreements on agricultural subsidies¹⁷.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

3 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 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。

6 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

7 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。

8 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

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 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

12 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

13 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

16 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

17 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》