voa标准英语2008年-Rice Hails US Election as Example to World

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. presidential election held on November 4 was an example for the world in how a nation can overcome internal differences. Rice spoke¹ at the 15th anniversary of the James Baker² Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston Thursday. VOA's Greg Flakus was there and filed this report.
　

Condoleezza Rice

In her remarks, Secretary of State Rice addressed the importance of the recent U.S. presidential election for the world and for the United States. She noted³ that people in far away nations had followed the election campaign, even learning about the Iowa caucuses⁴, which started the process in early January. She also spoke of the significance of Barack Obama becoming the first person of African descent to become president, saying that the United States had shown how democracy can help erase⁵ divisions between races and ethnic⁶ groups.

"[For] A girl like me who grew up in segregated⁷ Birmingham, Alabama to now elect an African-American president is an extraordinary matter," Rice noted, "and it says to the world that differences can be overcome and in a world in which different is still a license⁸ to kill, that is an awfully⁹ important message."

As she prepares to leave her position as secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice says there are two matters of unfinished business that concern her more than many of the foreign challenges facing the nation. The first, she said, is the need for comprehensive immigration reform so that, as she put it, "people living in the shadows can achieve legal status to live and work in this country." She said anti-immigrant attitudes could undermine one of the things that has made America great.

"Unless we can renew that spirit of wanting to be open to those who want to be part of us, we lose a part of who we are," Rice said.

Rice said the other concern she has for the United States is the state of education. Noting her background as a college professor before becoming a government official, she said she has always believed education is the means for a person from a modest background to achieve great things. Rice said the nation's failure to provide a good education could limit its future.

"It breaks my heart as an educator, but you know, as secretary of state, it terrifies me," she admitted. "Because if we are not able to educate our people, I can assure you we will turn inward, we will protect, we will be afraid of the world. And that will be a disaster for the world because America will not lead if we are not confident that our people are able to compete."

Secretary of State Rice said the world craves¹⁰ American leadership and looks to this country as a place of endless possibilities. She says that makes a domestic issue like education important as a foreign policy issue as well, because education is the key to fulfilling the American ideal that what matters most is not where someone comes from, but what they are able to achieve.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

5 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

8 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

9 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

10 craves   

渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求

参考例句：

• The tree craves calm but the wind will not drop. 树欲静而风不止。
• Victory would give him a passport to the riches he craves. 胜利将使他有机会获得自己梦寐以求的财富。