2007年VOA标准英语-UN General Assembly to Convene at Time of Chang

By Nathan King
New York City
18 September 2007
 

Heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers later this month will descend¹ on the United Nations for the annual opening of the General Assembly.

It is a time of change and ambitious action for an organization often criticized around the world.  The U.N. is led by a new secretary-general and is preparing to launch a large peacekeeping mission to the Sudan's troubled Darfur region.

Reporter Nathan King followed along on a tour of the U.N. to gauge² visitors' attitudes.

The U.N. is about to play host to presidents and prime ministers from the four corners of the globe.  Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists also visit the New York headquarters.  Their views are not always friendly.

"They get paid too much."

"The United Nations is in the hands of the United States and the rest just follow along."

"We want to join."

Whether it is residents of Taiwan who want recognition here or  Europeans who say the organization is bloated, tourists often express such judgments³.

Tour guide Anima Dua Agyman from Ghana  hears it all. "It is not just Americans. There are people who feel like that the UN is just a waste of time, -- [that] it is just bureaucrats⁴ who are just taking time -- who feel like they are just wasting money.  And you do not just get Americans.  You get that from Europeans.  You get that from people all over. The U.N. is not a world government."

In a variety of different languages -- six days a week -- U.N. tour guides respond to people who express the belief the organization can act unilaterally.

"But more and more I am realizing that the U.N. is made up of my country, your country, and everyone else's country. The work of the U.N. comes through the work of the people -- in other words -- the work of all these different countries," says Agyeman.

"Does anyone know who the current Secretary General of the United Nations is?" she asks a group.

On the tour, the guides explain the workings of the Security Council, the General Assembly and peacekeeping.  They also point out U.N. pursuits that do not often draw headlines, such as efforts to reduce poverty.  That surprised some of the group. "They spend 80 percent of their funding on social issues. At first, I thought that they said 18 percent.  Then she said 80 percent.  So, I mean, that is pretty great they are fighting for so many issues."

World leaders who arrive here for the General Assembly later this month -- much like international tourists -- often express widely varying opinions about the U.N.'s mission and effectiveness.

1 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

2 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

3 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

4 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句