VOA标准英语2009年-Clinton Urges Europeans to Bring Down "Wal

By David Gollust
Berlin
09 November 2009
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives a Tegel airport in Berlin, Germany to take part in the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday urged U.S. European allies to mobilize the same energy and values that won the Cold War to tackle contemporary problems, including terrorism and climate change.  Clinton spoke¹ at an event in the German capital on the eve of official observances of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

Clinton's keynote speech at a dinner organized by the Atlantic Council was more an appeal for unity² among the expanded NATO alliance than a commemoration of the transformative events in Berlin two decades ago.

With the North Atlantic Treaty Organization facing divisions over the war in Afghanistan and advanced economies struggling for a united approach on climate change, the Secretary of State urged alliance states to again summon the resolve and idealism that won the Cold War. "We owe it to ourselves and to those who yearn³ for the same freedoms that are enjoyed and even taken for granted in Berlin today.  And we need to form an even stronger partnership⁴ to bring down the walls of the 21st century and to confront those who hide behind them - the suicide bombers⁵, those who murder and maim⁶ girls whose only wish is to go to school, leaders who chose their own fortunes over the fortunes of their people," she said.

Clinton said the United States and its European partners should look at the example of the generations that brought them through the 20th century to combat violent extremism, nuclear proliferation and climate change. "European countries have been leaders in addressing the economic and social development challenges of the world.  We need to continue our work on an economic recovery.  And we need to continue to promote democracy and human rights beyond freedom's current frontiers, so that citizens everywhere are afforded the opportunity to pursue their dreams and live up to their own God-given potential," she said.

Clinton is in Berlin, heading a bipartisan U.S. delegation⁷ to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  U.S. delegates include former U.S. National Security Advisers⁸ Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft.

Clinton is having bilateral⁹ meetings on the margins¹⁰ of the Berlin Wall events and is expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program, among other issues, in a meeting on Monday with German Chancellor¹¹ Angela Merkel.

The secretary of state discussed northern European issues on Sunday in a joint¹² meeting with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and his Latvian counterpart, Valdis Zatlers.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 yearn   

v.想念；怀念；渴望

参考例句：

• We yearn to surrender our entire being.我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 maim   

v.使残废，使不能工作，使伤残

参考例句：

• Automobile accidents maim many people each year. 汽车车祸每年使许多人残废。
• These people kill and maim innocent civilians.这些人杀死和残害无辜平民。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

11 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。