VOA标准英语2008年-G8 Leaders to Discuss Africa, Climate

Leaders from the world's biggest industrial nations meet in Japan on Monday for the annual Group of Eight summit. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has this report on the summit agenda.
　
President Bush gestures during remarks on upcoming G8 summit in the Rose Garden of the White House, 02 Jul 2008

U.S. President George Bush says he will use this year's G8 summit to press other leaders to honor previous commitments to help Africa.

"We need people who not only make promises, but write checks for the sake of human rights and human dignity and for the sake of peace. Accountability is really important when it comes to our work on the continent of Africa," President Bush said.

Two years ago, G8 leaders promised to double financial assistance to Africa to $22 billion by the year 2010. But the nonpartisan AIDS and poverty awareness¹ group the One Campaign says just 14 percent of those funds have been delivered.

Julianne Smith directs the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan public policy research group in Washington.

"I think one thing Bush can say to the other G8 leaders is, look, the data that's out in terms of compliance², with the commitments that were made at the last - you know, they always check countries' compliance with the commitments that are made at the last summit," she said. "And the U.S. is really at the top of the list if you look at that data. And so, I think President Bush can come to the summit and say, I would like to see other countries increase their compliance with the commitments, whether it is aid to Africa or other economic commitments we have made."

Global climate change is also on the agenda. At last year's G8 meeting in Germany, President Bush blocked binding³ limits on greenhouse gases because they did not apply to other big polluters, including China and India.
　
Venue⁴ for Group of eight Hokkaido Toyako summit meeting at Windsor Hotel Toya in Toyako, northern Japan

This year's summit will include China and India in a separate meeting of 16 major economies responsible for 80 percent of world carbon-dioxide emissions⁵.

Michael Levi is the Senior Fellow for energy and environment at the nonpartisan private research group the Council on Foreign Relations. He says summit host Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda wants to keep the United States in the process ahead of what many world leaders expect to be a different approach to climate change from the next American president.

"I think you will see a similar thing at this meeting: the Japanese trying to balance a desire to have the strongest-possible outcome with an even larger interest in making sure that whatever path this meeting sets the group on for the future, the United States can be part of it and a new U.S. administration can steer⁶ it in a direction that they will be pleased with," he said.

Prime Minister Fukuda wants a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. White House officials say that is a worthy⁷ goal, but they are focused more on each nation setting its own mid-term targets.

Michael Green was senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council in 2004 and 2005. He is now an associate professor of international relations at Georgetown University.

"The other leaders know there is an election in November. And they are looking very, very closely at the positions that Senators McCain and Obama are taking on issues like climate change, non-proliferation, North Korea, Iran, and so forth," Green noted⁸. "But I do not think that the president's potential leadership role or stature⁹ is as diminished as you might expect in this forum¹⁰, in part because he knows them all quite well. They have a working relationship. They have a common interest in demonstrating that this forum can do something."

In addition to China and India, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa are invited to this summit as are South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia. Reflecting the meeting's focus on African issues, the head of the African Union is expected to attend as are the leaders of Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania.

　

 

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

3 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

7 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

8 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。

9 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

10 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。