VOA标准英语2009年-Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

By Tom Rivers
London
09 October 2009

 
US President Barack Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

The reporters gathered in Oslo hung on every word as Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, uttered the name of this year's winner.

While much admired around the world, the announcement still came as a surprise as some Nobel observers believe it is too early in his presidency¹ for Barack Obama to receive the award. Jagland firmly disagrees.

"If you look at the history of the Nobel Peace Prize, we have on many occasions tried to enhance what many personalities² is [are] trying to do," Jagland noted³. "For instance, when Willy Brandt got the prize back in the 1970s, he launched Ostpolitik in Europe which was so important in what happened many years later. For instance giving the prize to Mikhail Gorbachev for changing the world completely and now to President Obama who is contributing to improve the international climate, to strengthen the international bodies such as the U.N. for instance and that is very, very much needed. And the committee wants to not only endorse⁴, but contribute to enhancing that kind of international policy and the attitudes which he stands for."

More than 200 individuals and organizations were nominated this year, but as Jagland explains, Barack Obama won for giving the world hope for a better future and for striving for a nuclear-free world.

"We are awarding President Obama for his extraordinary efforts in order to strengthen dialogue in the world, to resolve conflicts by negotiations⁵ and through the international bodies that we have for that purpose," he said.

Mr. Obama, the first African-American to hold the top job in the U.S. has strongly called for disarmament and he has worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office nearly 10 months ago.

Former U.S. Vice⁶ President Al Gore⁷ won in 2007 along with the U.N. climate panel and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was awarded the prize in 2002.

1 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。

2 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

3 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。

4 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。