2007年VOA标准英语-Sierra Leone President Faces Rebuilding Devasta

By Kari Barber
Dakar
20 September 2007

Former Sierra Leone opposition¹ leader Ernest Koroma was sworn in as president earlier this week. Analysts² say the success of the elections and the smooth handover of power are signs that the war-scarred nation may be moving forward. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar that much still needs to be done to bring development to Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world.

National Election Watch, a non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone, coordinated³ poll monitoring during the presidential runoff election earlier this month. National Election Watch head Frances Fortune says Sierra Leoneans are relieved the election is over and normal life can resume.

"I think that generally the population was tired of the politicking⁴ and propaganda and all of the tension that elections bring," she said.

But she adds, with the election, which was widely praised by international observers, the nation has changed.

All eyes were on Sierra Leone leading up to the August 11 first-round and later the September 8 runoff to see if the country, which emerged from a brutal⁵ civil war five years ago, was indeed moving toward peace and stability.

Fortune says by calling all cabinet members back to work, Mr. Koroma is trying to show he is ready to take on the nation's problems and mend the rift⁶ caused by the elections.

"Our new president has set the pace by calling the cabinet ministers from the former government and saying, 'Hey, back to work. I am not hounding after anybody. There has been no directions to the police to pick up anybody,'" she said.

Supporters of the presidential contenders clashed in low-level confrontations⁷ in several cities prior to the runoff, putting the nation on edge.

Human Rights Watch West Africa researcher Corrine Dufka says Mr. Koroma will need to be careful about who he names to government positions from his All People's Congress party. The party was in power when the nation's civil war began, and Dufka says many still blame it for creating conditions ripe for conflict.

Dufka says Sierra Leone's people do not want a return to violence.

"They are fed up with violence and using violence as a means of affecting change," she said. "I think that will go a long way as well as proper management of the new government of the very high expectations for this new government."

Mr. Koroma has said that in his first 100 days in office he will focus on fighting corruption⁸, alleviating⁹ poverty as well as improving electricity, medical care and education.

Mr. Koroma defeated outgoing Vice¹⁰ President Solomon Berewa for the presidency¹¹ in a runoff after neither candidate got the required 55 percent in the first round.

Sierra Leone's rebel war was fueled by the nation's diamonds and gained notoriety for the use of child soldiers and the thousands of civilians¹² who had their limbs hacked¹³ off by machetes.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 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。

3 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 politicking   

n.政治活动，竞选活动v.从政( politic的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A lot of politicking preceded the choice of the new director. 在选新领导人之前进行了大量的拉拢活动。 来自辞典例句
• This colleague is always politicking. 这位同僚总是忙于政治活动。 来自互联网

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

7 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。