VOA标准英语2011--World Marks 100th Women’s Day

Women are joining together all over the world to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8.
Women poured through London's streets on Tuesday singing loudly for women's rights.
The banners they carried trained a spotlight¹ on the range of issues still at hand: health, education, and politics to name a few.
Among the demonstrators in London was the musician and activist² Annie Lennox. She said the fight for women's rights isn't over.
"There is still so much work to be done with regards to parity³ for women, equality for women's rights all around the world - not only in the developed countries," Lennox said. "We're here in the UK [United Kingdom] and there's actually four other marches going across different bridges across the entire world."
The march on London's Millenium Bridge Tuesday signified the Bridge of Peace that organizers say they want to build through conflict zones all over the world.
Women gathered in the conflict-ridden eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; they gathered in Afghanistan; and they gathered in Iraq.
In London, a number of leading female politicians and activists⁴ joined the demonstration⁵. One of them was Dr Habiba Sarabi. In 2005 she was made Afghanistan's first and only female governor. She says she wanted to empower women in her country and show the international community that Afghanistan is moving forward.
"Working as a female governor is not an easy job. It was for the first time in Afghanistan," Sarabi said. "But I did it because I wanted to prove that women can do in a society like Afghanistan something that men can do."
She says her role as governor of Banyam province shows that Afghanistan has come a long way since the Taliban was ousted⁶ a decade ago. But she says it hasn't been easy.
"There were so many people who were against me, they wanted to start some activity and also propaganda against me and they started to make demonstrations," Sarabi said. "But anyway I didn't go backward."
Another Afghan activist in London for Women's Day was Asila Wardak Jamal, who co-founded the Afghan Women's Network.
She says empowering women in Afghanistan is hard when many people are still struggling for basic needs like food.
"There are lots of problems still. Security is a big concern and a big obstacle for [the] women's movement and for women's development," Jamal said. "And also violence against women it's a big concern for Afghan women. The violence against women at the familial level and at the societal level, it's increasing. But still there's a way to go."
That's why these women in London said they, and others around the world, turned out for International Women's Day - to keep women's needs at the forefront of the global agenda.
Human rights activist and actress Bianca Jagger was at the London rally. She says women can do it together.
"We need to make a difference and that difference can be made by us as mothers," Jagger said. "And we can make a difference for women throughout the world."
Women's Day was first celebrated⁷ in Germany in 1911 and is now marked by over 100 countries around the world.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

6 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。