VOA标准英语 Obama Wraps Up Summit with Call for Partnership

President Barack Obama has hailed a renewed spirit of cooperation in the Americas, one in which the United States is an equal partner that listens to its neighbors. Speaking at the conclusion of the fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Obama expressed hope for democratic change in Cuba and said the U.S. economic embargo¹ of the island has not worked.
　
President Barack Obama, left, says goodbye to Trinidad & Tobago's Prime Minister Patrick Manning after Summit of the Americas

President Obama says the Summit of the Americas yielded broad hemispheric agreement on the need to spur economic growth, confront security challenges like drug trafficking, promote alternative fuels, protect the environment, and ensure human rights. At a news conference, he acknowledged he does not agree with all fellow leaders on all issues.

"But what we showed here is that we can make progress when we are willing to break free from some of the stale debates and old ideologies² that have dominated and distorted the debate in this hemisphere for far too long," said President Obama.

Mr. Obama acknowledged criticism of the United States by several leaders, like Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, but said the entire region is rooting for America's success. "Even the most vociferous³ critics of the United States also want to make sure that the U.S. economy is working and growing again," he said, "because there is extraordinary dependence⁴ on the United States for exports, for remittances⁵."

The lone⁶ country in the Americas excluded from the summit, Cuba, and its long-frozen relations with the United States came to overshadow the gathering⁷.

After a week of statements and counter-statements between Washington and Havana on possible bilateral⁸ talks, President Obama said Cuba must embrace reform. But he added that U.S. policies to force change on the island, including an economic embargo, have failed to bring about democracy.

"The policy we have had in place for 50 years has not worked the way we wanted it to," said President Obama. "The Cuban people are not free."

Numerous other leaders expressed hope for sustained dialogue between the United States and Cuba that will lead to normalized relations, while addressing human rights and political reform on the island.

"The Cuban issue comes up all the time," said Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, "and we see that President Obama has taken some positive steps. And we in Caricom [the Caribbean Community] are willing to facilitate that dialogue. Change will not happen overnight, but there ought to be dialogue. And changes are to be made on both sides."
　
President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez before the opening session of the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 17 April 2009

Throughout the summit, President Obama was warmly received by fellow leaders, including several fierce critics of the United States. After several greetings and handshakes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez described Mr. Obama as "an intelligent man" and said he wants to return an ambassador to Washington after a seven-month absence.

President Obama spoke⁹ of "huge differences" with President Chavez. He said there was no harm in dialogue with the Venezuelan leader, but actions are what matter most.

Saturday, Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the United States of involvement in a recent alleged¹⁰ assassination¹¹ plot against him. President Obama denied the charge.

The summit host, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, praised President Obama for a positive attitude, which he said set a congenial tone that ensured success at the gathering. "That spirit of cooperation, that new spirit that we had anticipated in the Western Hemisphere was very, very evident in the way we conducted our business," said Prime Minister Manning.

This was the first Summit of the Americas to be held in a Caribbean nation, and was notable for a virtual absence of protesters. The last hemispheric gathering, in Argentina in 2005, was marred¹² by riots and fierce demonstrations¹³ against then-U.S. President George W. Bush.

1 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

2 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句

3 vociferous   

adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的

参考例句：

• They are holding a vociferous debate.他们在吵吵嚷嚷地辩论。
• He was a vociferous opponent of Conservatism.他高声反对保守主义。

4 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

5 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

6 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 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。

9 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。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

12 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

13 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。