2007年VOA标准英语-Angola Completes 10 Month-Long Voter Registrati

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
17 September 2007

Angola has completed a 10-month voter registration¹ drive in preparation for elections next year. The balloting² will be Angola's first in 15 years and is aimed at consolidating³ a transition to multi-party democracy that was disrupted by decades of civil war. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.

Angola's voter registration drive ended Sunday with a blitz by election officials who registered nearly two-million voters in the final two months of the campaign.

The official Angolan News Agency (ANGOP) says 7.5 million voters were registered during the drive that began last November and was extended in June by three months.

An official with the Plataforma Eleitoral (Electoral Platform) consortium of pro-democracy groups, Antonia Da Costa, says that even with the extension some potential voters were not registered. Nevertheless, she says these were a minority and in general the government fulfilled expectations in preparing the population for the elections.

Angola is to hold legislative⁴ elections next year and presidential elections in 2009. They will be the first multi-party elections in 15 years and only the second balloting in the country's history.

The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola - the MPLA - has governed since independence. It will be competing against the Union for the Total Independence of Angola - known as UNITA - and a dozen smaller parties.

The MPLA and UNITA fought a bitter 27-year war that killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced one-fourth of the population. It also devastated⁵ education and social services and left more than one million landmines⁶ scattered⁷ across the country.

The legacy⁸ of the war has presented obstacles, including poor transportation and communications links, and a lack of political experience on the part of many citizens.

In addition, natural disasters such as seasonal⁹ rains that isolate¹⁰ parts of the country could also hinder balloting and vote tabulation¹¹.

Because of these obstacles some analysts¹² doubt whether the elections can be held as scheduled. But Da Costa disagrees. She says that yes, the country is in a position to go ahead with the vote once the elections are formally announced. She adds that although there are difficulties there is a desire on the part of the people to move ahead.

Angola has held multi-party elections only once, in 1992. These were meant to end the civil war, but UNITA rejected the results and fighting resumed.

After the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi in an ambush¹³ in 2002, the two sides signed a peace agreement and formed a government of national reconciliation¹⁴.

Some observers also question whether the elections will be fair. They note that they are being held under the Ministry¹⁵ of Territorial¹⁶ Administration. The National Electoral Commission has merely a supervisory role.

Nevertheless, the government has pledged a free and fair vote.

1 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

2 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

3 consolidating   

v.（使）巩固， （使）加强( consolidate的现在分词 )；（使）合并

参考例句：

• These measures are meant for consolidating the system of basic medical care. 这些举措旨在夯实基层医疗体系，让老百姓看大病不必出远门。 来自互联网
• We are consolidating the Chinese and English versions of our homepage. 我们将为您提供中英文版本一起的主页。 来自互联网

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

7 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。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

10 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

11 tabulation   

作表，表格； 表列结果； 列表； 造表

参考例句：

• A tabulation of a function of two variables is cumbersome, but possible. 二元函数的列表法是不方便的，然而是可能的。
• Such a tabulation cannot represent adequately the complex gradation relationships between the types. 这样的图表不能充分代表各类型之间的复杂级配关系。

12 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。

13 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

14 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

15 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

16 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。