VOA标准英语2010年-Voters in Netherlands Prepare for Gene

Voters in the Netherlands go to the polls next week in a general election brought on the by the collapse¹ of their coalition² government over prolonging the country's troop presence in Afghanistan.  Our reporter found that public opinion on Dutch involvement in Afghanistan is mixed, with economic issues being main concern of voters.

Horse drawn³ carriages, people on bicycles, riverboats cruising the many canals lend to the leisurely⁴ pace to life on in Amsterdam.  But these are politically turbulent times in the Netherlands.

Fifty kilometers west of the capital, in The Hague, sits the Dutch parliament.  In February, the government collapsed⁵ after the two largest parties failed to agree on extending the NATO mission in Afghanistan, triggering new elections.

Many Dutch people, like this soldier's wife in the town of Zwolle, feel their country has done more than its fair share for North Atlantic alliance.

"When we talk with America, you can see they like what we're doing and we're participating so much," she said. "But sometimes I also think, 'What are we?  We're just a small pinch on the map and we're doing a lot of jobs everywhere.'"

The Netherlands has nearly 2,000 troops deployed⁶ in Afghanistan.  More than 20 have died carrying out their peacekeeping and reconstruction⁷ mission.  And with no agreement on extending the commitment, they are set to begin pulling out in August.

Marcel de Haas, a Lieutenant⁸ Colonel in the Dutch army who is at the Clingendael Institute for International Relations, says it is money that will dictate⁹ future Dutch participation¹⁰ in Afghan operations.

"Nearly all parties, because of the financial crisis, are going to go for cuts on the defense¹¹ budget," said Marcel de Haas. "And then we get the problem that with the current level of political-military ambitions.  You can't do that anymore because already at the current budget, we can't pay for all these operations."

Outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague, the political editor of the De Volkskrant newspaper says the Netherland's role in Afghanistan has given way to domestic concerns.

"It's all national issues that are at stake - the economy, the economic crisis," he said. "The Afghan situation is hardly mentioned nowadays.  The decision has been taken.  In the campaign, it's a non-issue because the voters aren't very interested in it."

Although the economy might decide how most people vote, on the streets of Amsterdam, the Afghan mission continues to divide public opinion.

MAN:  "It has been unpopular from the outset.  Most people want the interference from the Dutch to stop as soon as possible."

WOMAN:  "I think we should stay there because I think the people over there are doing a very good job, so I think they should finish this job."

MAN:  "I think we should stay there.  We built a lot of goodwill¹² and now we're abandoning it.  It's crazy."

Budget cuts might force the Dutch government to scale back its overseas military operations.  Analyst¹³ Marcel de Haas fears that could affect relations with the country's allies.

"It will also affect our political influence internationally," he said. "We are currently invited for the G-20.  I think that's going to stop.  We are going to lose political influence in international fora, especially in NATO - I am convinced of this."

The Netherlands might not be alone in Europe as governments across the continent debate cuts in defense spending that could affect missions like the one in Afghanistan.

For the Dutch, analysts¹⁴ say, it might cost them influence in international affairs.  But for many voters, it is a price they are willing to pay to ride out the global economic recession.
 

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

5 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。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

8 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

9 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

10 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

13 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。