VOA标准英语2010年-Pakistani Analysts Respond to Indian F

Pakistanis crowd around a Pakistan Army helicopter during a drop of much needed food supplies to the flood encircled village of Tul in , Sindh Province, southern Pakistan, 20 Aug 2010

As hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid come pouring into Pakistan to help with the flooding crisis, Islamabad has accepted a pledge from an unlikely source, longtime rival India.

 

Officials with the United Nations in Pakistan announced Saturday that they have received nearly 70 percent of the $460 million aid appeal for the country's flood disaster.

Nearly a month into the flood crisis, this total includes India's recent offer of $5 million to help with the relief effort.

India's permanent representative to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri addressed the organization's General Assembly Friday after Pakistan accepted the pledge.

"We are willing to do all that is in our power to assist Pakistan in facing the consequences of floods," said Puri.  "We extend our wholehearted support to the government of Pakistan in its efforts for relief and rehabilitation¹ of the adversely² affected³ population."

Aside from the fact that the neighboring nuclear powers have fought three wars, Pakistani analysts⁵ say this offer of aid comes at a particularly sensitive time in relations between the two countries.

Within the past two months, there have been several border skirmishes between their armies with some casualties reported on either side.

In July, India's Home Secretary G.K. Pillai accused Pakistan's military intelligence agency of playing a significant role in the planning of 2008's Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.  The accusation⁶ came a day before Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna visited his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad.  Subsequently, the accusation overshadowed the talks.

International relations expert Ishtiaq Ahmad from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad says he believes the worldwide focus on Pakistan's flooding might have influenced India to offer aid to its longtime rival.

"The Indians might have been facing a big dilemma⁷ because the whole world is out there," said Ahmad.  "So they would have been an odd man out, you know, in a situation when everyone is coming.  Even Afghanistan has offered $1 million."

Riffat Hussain with Quaid-i-Azam University's Department of Peace and Conflict Studies says the issue of exchanging humanitarian⁸ aid between the two countries always has been politically sensitive.

He points to the fact Pakistan spurned⁹ India's offer to fly helicopters for relief efforts after the 2005 earthquake in the northern part of the country.

He also says India itself has declined Pakistani assistance in the past.

"There was an earthquake that had hit Gujarat about a decade ago, and Pakistan had offered humanitarian relief assistance to India and the Indian government had turned it down," said Hussain.  "So there is whole history of offers being made and spurned by the different sides."

He says he believes India's $5 million pledge is a delicate diplomatic maneuver¹⁰, especially as compared to the tens of millions of dollars other countries are providing and Pakistan's enormous need for assistance.

"It's like a drop in the ocean, not even in the bucket," added Hussain.  "So therefore, I think they are sending a message not only to the international community but also to Pakistan that India means well."

From Lahore, international relations analyst⁴ Rasool Baksh Rais agrees with Hussain that the pledge largely is symbolic¹¹.  But he says some elements within Pakistan will not take kindly¹² to the sum, especially considering India's economy is much larger than Pakistan's.

"It is also a kind of insult to injury that you are acting¹³ like a regional hegemony and look at the growth of your economy," said Rais.

He says Islamabad's acceptance of the aid could put pressure on the civilian¹⁴ government, as it fights growing criticism from flood victims that they have not received enough aid.

"There has been even much critique from certain opposition¹⁵ forces that why we cannot mobilize the national resources; they can be more than enough to meet the challenge that we are facing," added Rais.  "Why accept aid?"

Regardless of the source and size of the aid, analysts agree that every little bit will help as rains continue to soak a country seeking to emerge from the area's worst flooding in more than 80 years.

 

1 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

2 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 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。

5 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。

6 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

7 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

10 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

11 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

12 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 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。

15 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。