VOA标准英语2009-Obama Welcomes India's Singh to the White Ho

U.S. President Barack Obama welcomes Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the White House Tuesday, during the first state visit of his presidency¹.

Paula Wolfson | Washington 24 November 2009

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India delivers his welcoming remarks as President Barack Obama listens during a State Arrival ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, 24 Nov. 2009 in Washington

U.S. President Barack Obama is hosting his first state visit at the White House.  The guest of honor is Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A cool rain forced the official arrival ceremony indoors.  But the welcome for the Indian leader was warm.

"Mr. Prime Minister, yours is the first official state visit of my presidency.  And it is fitting that you and India be so recognized," President Obama said.

At the scaled-down event in the White House East Room, President Obama talked about the importance of ties between India and the United States.

He told Prime Minister Singh the visit reflects the bonds of respect and friendship that link their two countries.

"But above all, your visit at this pivotal moment in history speaks to the opportunity before us to build the relationship between our nations born in the last century into one of the defining partnerships³ of the 21st century," Mr. Obama said.

The president talked about the potential for partnership² in dealing⁴ with global challenges ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to climate change.  He also mentioned cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism and boosting the world economy.

One week after a trip to East Asia that included several days in China, Mr. Obama went out of his way to stress that he also sees India as an important player in international affairs.

"This is the India that America welcomes today - a leader in Asia and around the world," Mr. Obama said.

Prime Minister Singh said the United States and India are separated by distance but bound by common values.

"Over the years, we have built upon these values and created a partnership that is based upon both principle and pragmatism," Mr. Singh said. "Our relations have been transformed, and today they encompass⁵ cooperation in all areas of human activity."

The Indian leader announced Monday that the United States and India would sign a memorandum⁶ of understanding during his visit designed to improve cooperation on energy security, clean energy and climate change. 

Other issues sure to be addressed during his talks with President Obama include American policy toward Pakistan, and the status of the civilian⁷ nuclear agreement the United States and India signed last year.

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 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。

3 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 encompass   

vt.围绕，包围；包含，包括；完成

参考例句：

• The course will encompass physics,chemistry and biology.课程将包括物理、化学和生物学。
• The project will encompass rural and underdeveloped areas in China.这项工程将覆盖中国的农村和不发达地区。

6 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。