VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Pledges Sustained Commitment To

President Barack Obama is promising¹ full U.S. support for Haiti's immediate² recovery from Tuesday's earthquake, and for its long-term rebuilding.   Mr. Obama discussed the catastrophe³ Friday with Haiti's president.

President Obama says the United States will fully⁴ back Haiti's rescue and recovery efforts, now and in the future.

"I pledged America's continued commitment to the government and to the people of Haiti, in the immediate effort to save lives and deliver relief, and in the long-term effort to rebuild," said President Obama.

The president thanked U.S. rescue workers, embassy staff and the thousands of members of the U.S. military arriving in Haiti for their work, and the American people for donating millions of dollars toward Haitian relief.

Mr. Obama says there is a huge task ahead.

"There are going to be many difficult days ahead," said Mr. Obama. "So many people are in need of assistance.  The port continues to be closed and the roads are damaged.  Food is scarce and so is water.  It will take time to establish distribution points so that we can ensure that resources are delivered safely and effectively and in an orderly fashion."

Earlier Friday, Mr. Obama talked with Haitian President Rene Preval, after several days of efforts to reach his counterpart on the telephone.  Mr. Preval lost his home when the presidential palace and government ministries⁵ collapsed⁶ in the quake.

The U.S. has provided communications equipment to the Haitian president, and has pledged $100 million to the country's recovery.

The president says Mr. Preval expressed his gratitude⁷ for the help.

"He said that he has been extremely touched by the friendship and the generosity⁸ of the American people," said President Obama. "It was an emotional moment."

Mr. Obama has also asked former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to lead private fundraising efforts to help Haiti recover. The three of them will meet at the White House on Saturday.

Mr. Obama had sharply criticized the response of Mr. Bush's government to Hurricane Katrina's devastation⁹ of the U.S. Gulf¹⁰ coast in 2005. 

But Mr. Bush was praised for sending his father, former president George H.W. Bush, and his one-time political rival Mr. Clinton to Asia to aid the recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami¹¹. 

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

9 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。