VOA标准英语2012--Burmese Candidates Brace for a Day at the Polls

Burmese Candidates Brace¹ for a Day at the Polls

This demonstration² of traditional Burmese martial³ arts is a campaign event for a member of Burma’s military aligned⁴ ruling party known as the USDP.

In the last elections in 2010, opposition⁵ groups and Western governments condemned⁶ the vote as fraudulent. 

Ruling party candidate Lay Lay Aye blames inexperience for past irregularities and denies accusations⁷ that her party bribed⁸ or threatened voters.

“I believe that this coming election will be free and fair but I’m worried about potential riots or violence," she said. "There are other parties who are extremely active. So it will be good to see them under control.”

Lay Lay Aye is referring to Aung San Suu Kyi, who has returned to politics after 20 years in and out of house arrest. Her anticipated election is expected to be a critical political shift as she joins a government she once opposed.

Other opposition members are hopeful that participating in a system that has been flawed is a way to help change it. 

Thu Wai is the chairman of the Democratic Party of Myanmar who cried foul⁹ after stuffed ballot¹⁰ boxes appeared in the final hours of voting in 2010, when he lost the election. 

“I’m not angry, I must participate again it’s very important. Of course there will be cheating, but maybe less this time, and the next time will be less again,” he said.

Phyu Phyu Thin, a rising star in the National League for Democracy, runs a free HIV/AIDS clinic in the outskirts¹¹ of town. She is another high profile candidate who remains¹² worried about the integrity of the vote. 

“On one hand, people are getting more active, but at the same time on the other hand people are more worried," she said. "It is because of the experience that people had in 2010. Many people asked, “What’s going to happen? What will go wrong? What will become of our votes?”

The 48 seats being contested in Sunday’s vote will not change the balance of power in parliament. But political analyst¹³ Maung Wuntha of the People’s Age, a Rangoon-based weekly journal, says he still believes the election is important.

“It’s true. But Daw Aung San Suu Kyi can change the atmosphere of the parliament. She is seen as being someone who speaks for the people, and she can make the parliament a more open place,” he said.

Despite the doubts about fairness, all observers consider the by-election another vital step on Burma’s uncertain road to reform.

1 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

2 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。

3 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

4 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

5 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。

6 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。

7 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

8 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

10 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

11 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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。