VOA常速英语2008年-Bush: Mugabe Has Ruined Zimbabwe

By Scott Stearns
White House
14 February 2008

President Bush says he is disappointed that South African mediation¹ has failed to ease Zimbabwe's political divisions. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush spoke² to radio reporters on the eve of his second trip to Africa.

Political instability in Zimbabwe was a big issue during the president's first trip to Africa five years ago.  Mr. Bush embraced South African President Thabo Mbeki as an honest broker³ in the political standoff between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opponents in the country's pro-democracy movement.

Mr. Mugabe is now looking to extend his 28 years in office in elections next month. The opposition⁴ has failed to come together in a unified⁵ campaign.  Mr. Mugabe's most serious challenger, Simba Makoni, is a former member of his own party.

President Bush says the United States will continue to support freedom in Zimbabwe, denouncing Mr. Mugabe as a "discredited⁶ dictator" who has brought misery⁷ to his people.

During a White House interview with radio reporters, Mr. Bush was asked by VOA about Zimbabwe's rapid economic decline.

"Zimbabwe used to be a net exporter of food," he said.  "Today it is a net importer of food.  Mr. Mugabe has ruined a country."

Zimbabwe's official inflation rate, already the world's highest, has now risen to more than 66,000 percent.  Price controls introduced last June have had little effect in a country with chronic⁸ food and fuel shortages and an unemployment rate of about 80 percent.

Critics blame President Mugabe for economic mismanagement and the poorly handled seizure⁹ of white-owned commercial farms.  Mr. Mugabe blames sabotage¹⁰ by Western governments led by Britain.

Stephen Morrison is co-director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a private policy research group in Washington.  He says President Bush's decision to enlist¹¹ the aid of the South African leader has failed to change Zimbabwean politics.

"In '03, there was the handoff to Mbeki on Zimbabwe at the very close of the trip, and of course now we're approaching the countdown towards the March elections, and what that will mean, and of course [what] Mbeki's achieved - as we can tell right now – [he] has achieved nothing in terms of getting resolution of that," he said.

President Bush told radio reporters that he is disappointed that the situation in Zimbabwe has gotten worse since his first visit to Africa.

"I was hoping that the South African government would have been more pro-active in its intercession to help the people of Zimbabwe," he added.  "It's not anti-anybody. It's pro-people. And that has yet to happen."

The president is scheduled to leave for Africa Friday with stops in Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Liberia, and Ghana.

1 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

2 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。

3 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

4 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。

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

7 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

8 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

9 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

10 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

11 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。