VOA标准英语2009年-US Lawmaker Arrives in Burma to Meet Top M

U.S. Senator Jim Webb has arrived in Burma's administrative¹ capital for talks with the country's military leaders. The Democrat² senator from Virginia will be the first high-ranking U.S. official to meet with General Than Shwe.
　
Senator Jim Webb

The visit comes just days after the United States and other Western nations condemned³ the military government's order to extend the house arrest of opposition⁴ leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is not known what specific issues will be covered during the talks Saturday, but the White House said Senator Webb would convey "strong" U.S. views on Burma's political path.

Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a fellow at the Institute of Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, says the meeting appears to signal Burma's willingness to engage with the United States. The U.S. and other Western nations have long imposed sanctions on the government, which he says have not worked.

"I think this is something we all can look forward to…. I think peer pressure and persuasion⁵ are the twin elements that could bring about results in a more desirable way in Naypyidaw," said Chowdhury.
　
Aung San Suu Kyi (file photo)

The military has ruled Burma for more than 40 years. In 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections but the military never allowed it to govern. In September 2007, it brutally⁶ quashed peaceful protest by Buddhist⁷ monks⁸.

On Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of violating her house arrest following an incident in May when an American entered her lakeside home uninvited. She was ordered to remain under house arrest for another one and a half years - a sentence that human rights groups and foreign governments say was aimed at preventing her from participating in next year's elections. The Nobel Peace laureate has been under house arrest for 14 of the last 20 years.

A few members of the NLD have been asked to travel to Naypyidaw, the country's capital, while Webb is there, but it is not clear if they are to meet with the senator. Nor is known if Webb will be able to see Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

The senator is the first U.S. member of Congress to visit Burma in more than a decade. He arrived in Naypyidaw from Laos, as part of a five-nation tour of Asia as the chairman of the Senate subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He was formerly⁹ as the Secretary of the Navy and served as a Marine¹⁰ in Vietnam.

 

1 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

6 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

10 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。