VOA标准英语2008年-Putin Confirmation as Russian Premier Sparks Ve

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
08 May 2008

Vladimir Putin has been confirmed as Russian's new prime minister by an overwhelming vote in the lower house of Parliament. But VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports that scathing¹ criticism and opposition² to Mr. Putin by Communist lawmakers sparked verbal fireworks during a discussion of his nomination³.

Vladimir Putin's confirmation⁴ as head of government was never in doubt, with 392 deputies voting in favor and 56 opposed. Mr. Putin's support came from two minority factions⁵ and the ruling United Russia Party, which he heads. Communists led the opposition.

Before the vote, Mr. Putin laid out his plans to turn Russia into a global economic leader and to improve the country's standard of living.

Russia's new head of government says creating an innovative⁶ society is impossible without constant development of the human factor and human capital and also without large investments in education, health, and secure and comfortable living conditions.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov recognized that Mr. Putin unified⁷ Russia during his presidency⁸, put down revolts in the Caucasus, and improved the country's international image. But he said Russia is no longer an industrial powerhouse, and it imports half its food, while weeds have overtaken 40 million hectares of farmland.

Zyuganov also pointed⁹ to a serious demographic decline, noting that Russia's population is falling toward 135 million while that of the United States is surging over 300 million. In addition, he said that 800,000 highly trained professionals have left Russia in recent years.

"Your main failure," Gennady Zyuganov told Mr. Putin, "is that you did not develop and protect the fundamentals of democracy." He went on to say that the last election demonstrated once again that the policies of the Putin administration will get Russia nowhere and there will be stagnation¹⁰ even in those areas of which Mr. Putin is proud.

Zyuganov's remarks drew a sharp rebuke¹¹ from Liberal Democratic Party head Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who ran for the presidency against the winner, Dmitri Medvedev.

Zhirinovsky, known as an outspoken¹² firebrand, ripped into Zyuganov's charge that Russian factories are closing - noting that Communists forced political prisoners to build much of the country's infrastructure¹³. Zhirinovsky said Russia's brain drain can also be traced to the Soviet¹⁴ era, because scientists have fled the country in search of freedom denied by the Communists.

Zhirinovsky accused Zyuganov's party of slaughtering¹⁵ the entire czarist police force and exterminating¹⁶ all of the country's engineers and government officials. Yes, bureaucrats¹⁷ take bribes¹⁸, but who are they, asked Zhirinovsky. He answered; they came off the street during the Communist era to take over top government jobs. Zhirinovsky said things would have been different if children of the nobility, of landowners, industrialists¹⁹, and scientists had ruled Russia.

Mr. Putin, whose nomination sparked the verbal fireworks, looked glum²⁰ as Gennady Zyuganov attacked his record, and amused when Vladimir Zhirinovsky launched into the Communist leader.

Zhirinovsky elicited²¹ several rounds of outright²² laughter during his 10-minute tirade²³, which ended after his microphone was cutoff for exceeding a time limit.

The speeches by party leaders and Mr. Putin's lengthy²⁴ address overshadowed newly inaugurated President Dmitri Medvedev, who merely introduced his nominee²⁵ for the premiership and wished him well after his confirmation.

1 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

5 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

6 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

7 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。

8 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。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

11 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

12 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

15 slaughtering   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

16 exterminating   

v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Man is exterminating too many species for zoos to be much help. 人类正在导致过多物种灭绝，动物园也无济于事。 来自辞典例句
• Germany is exterminating the Jews of Europe. 德国正在灭绝欧洲犹太人。 来自辞典例句

17 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

18 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

19 industrialists   

n.工业家，实业家( industrialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This deal will offer major benefits to industrialists and investors. 这笔交易将会让实业家和投资者受益匪浅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has set up a committee of industrialists and academics to advise it. 政府已成立了一个实业家和学者的委员会来为其提供建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 glum   

adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的

参考例句：

• He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人，时而忧伤时而欢笑。
• She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。

21 elicited   

引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
• The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。

22 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

23 tirade   

n.冗长的攻击性演说

参考例句：

• Her tirade provoked a counterblast from her husband.她的长篇大论激起了她丈夫的强烈反对。
• He delivered a long tirade against the government.他发表了反政府的长篇演说。

24 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

25 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。