VOA标准英语2008年-Bush Promotes Freedom Agenda

U.S. President George Bush is promoting his freedom agenda, and urging his successor to do the same. As VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports, Mr. Bush used a speech at the headquarters of the government's foreign aid agency to talk about the future.

With his time in office drawing to a close, Mr. Bush used his speech to offer some advice to the next president of the United States.

He did not go into the politics of the race for his successor, nor did he mention any candidate by name.

Instead, he tried to stay above politics and focus on a cause he has championed during his tenure¹ at the White House: the drive to promote freedom around the world.

"The challenge for America is the years ahead is to continue to help people in struggling nations achieve freedom from corruption², freedom from disease, freedom from poverty, freedom from hunger and freedom from tyranny," he said.

Mr. Bush says the next president - and the next Congress - must combat hopelessness in struggling nations, saying it is both a moral and security imperative³.

"Combating hopelessness is in America's security interests because the only way our enemies can recruit people to their dark ideology⁴ is to exploit distress⁵ and despair," he said.

Mr. Bush says battling disease and hunger must continue to be a priority. He urges steps to boost trade as a way to combat poverty. And he stresses America must always lead the fight for human rights.

"In the past seven years we have spoken out against human rights abuses by tyrannical regimes like those in Iran, Sudan, and Syria and Zimbabwe. We have spoken candidly⁶ about human rights with nations with whom we have good relations, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia and China," he said.

In his speech to employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mr. Bush once again called for the release of prisoners of conscience around the world - such as Burmese Nobel Laureate and democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

He said even now, there are stirrings for change in places like Havana, Tehran, and Damascus. And he emphasized those involved in the struggle for freedom must know they are not alone.

"America hears you," he said. "Millions of our citizens stand with you. And hope still lives, even in bleak⁷ places and in dark moments."

The president's speech came in the midst of a foreign tour by the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee⁸, Senator Barack Obama. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the timing⁹ is a coincidence, and that Mr. Bush's remarks were designed to mark Captive Nation's Week - an annual observance that began during the days of the Soviet¹⁰ Union to press for freedom for nations then behind the so-called Iron Curtain.

 

 

1 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

4 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

5 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

6 candidly   

adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地

参考例句：

• He has stopped taking heroin now,but admits candidly that he will always be a drug addict.他眼下已经不再吸食海洛因了,不过他坦言自己永远都是个瘾君子。
• Candidly,David,I think you're being unreasonable.大卫，说实话我认为你不讲道理。

7 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

8 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。

9 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

10 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。