VOA常速英语2008年-Singing, Shouting Mark Bush Liberia Visit

By Nico Colombant
Monrovia
21 February 2008

Singing, sweeping¹, security and shouting marked President Bush's brief visit to Liberia Thursday. The West African country, carved out for freed American slaves, is still struggling to recover from a drawn-out civil war and decades of poor governance and civil unrest.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Monrovia.

Sweepers for the Bush visit were out on the streets of the Liberian capital to make the sewage filled city a bit more presentable along the U.S. president's route, as he made his way to government buildings for ceremonies and meetings with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf about poverty reduction.  He then went to a military training center for the closing speech of his five-nation Africa tour and the University of Liberia for exchanges with student leaders and teachers.

Thousands lined the streets, including a group of women, singing for peace and better governance.

As United Nations helicopters hovered² overhead, 12th-grade student, K. Moses Yoko, said it would have been nice to meet with Mr. Bush directly.

"If I had one minute to talk to him, I would ask him to bring support here in the country to help us and give us free education," Yoko said.

Yoko said he has to pay for his annual school fee of about $250 at the run-down Richard Nixon Institute, named after another U.S. president, by selling tissue, soap and peppermint³ on the streets of the capital. 

He is the only member in his family of 12 children to go to school.

Scuffles also broke out along the route as U.S and U.N. trained police said they were trying to prevent any large, unruly gatherings⁴.

At police headquarters, the chairman of the Forum⁵ for the Establishment of a War Crimes Court in Liberia, Mulbah Morlu, said he had been detained with two other leaders of his group, after trying to deliver a petition to Mr. Bush.

A police spokesman denied he had been arrested, and said police officials were having a discussion with the three men.

Morlu says he believes Mr. Bush would be responsive to his pleas for a War Crimes Court.

"He just said during an address that the people of Kenya deserve justice in the recent electoral violence protest situation," Morlu said. "So if 1,000 people were murdered in Kenya through political violence as opposed to 300,000 people butchered in Liberia in the 14-year civil crisis, I do not think the man George Bush is going to allow such a brutal⁶ exercise to pass his condemnation⁷.  I strongly believe he is going to support this process."

But Liberian Information Minister Laurence Bropleh told VOA the government is working with the international community to continue the ongoing⁸ Truth and Reconciliation⁹ Commission, known as the TRC, an open forum for war-related accusations¹⁰ and admissions, which has just started work outside the capital.

"A war crimes court is not something that you go to the market and you purchase or you make a wish list and Mr. Bush comes and then you say give us a war crimes court," Bropleh said. "A war crimes court is a combination of many things.  It is extremely expensive to engage in that endeavor and the Liberians themselves opted¹¹ for the TRC process, and this is what the international community has said.  I believe the war crimes court is not the best thing for Liberia."

A supporter of the proposed court, who wished to remain unnamed, said he was angry police had disrupted the planned protest.  He said those responsible for war crimes should be jailed, and that peaceful protesters should not be impeded¹².

"They are violating his constitutional rights because, according to the constitution of this nation, a citizen has the right to demonstrate without the approval of the Ministry¹³ of Justice," he said.

As a crowd gathered around, police asked that the interviews be stopped, and that everyone disperse¹⁴ to ensure total security for the Bush visit. 

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

3 peppermint   

n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖

参考例句：

• Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
• He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来，突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖，当即被噎死。

4 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 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。

7 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 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。

10 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

11 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

12 impeded   

阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。
• He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。

13 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。

14 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。