VOA标准英语2012--Egypt's Moussa Stresses Experience in Time of Flux

 

Egypt's Moussa Stresses Experience in Time of Flux¹

Moussa's past is both a strength and a weakness. The former foreign minister and ex- Arab League chief says he is ready to lead the nation.

"The country is in a major crisis," noted² Moussa. "And a major crisis would not justify³ at all a president who will ask around 'What do I do on this point, or that point' and gaining experience as he goes."

Challenges

But how the presidential candidate got his experience is proving one of the biggest hurdles⁴ of his campaign. Cairo voter Hussein Ali will not be casting his ballot⁵ for him.

Ali says he doesn't want someone from the former government as president. The country, he says, needs "new blood."

At a recent debate, the urbane⁶, veteran diplomat⁷ defended his past by pointing to the last decade spent at the Arab League.

He said “when the regime fell, it fell with its officials.” Moussa argued he was no longer part of the government, having left 10 years prior -- nor was he part of its problems, he added.

Supporters

Moussa's supporters say it was the politician's independent streak⁸ that got him sidelined to the League: a strong stand against Israel led to a burst in popularity and a hit song praising him, making former President Hosni Mubarak, Moussa's supporters say, wary⁹ and jealous.

Now Moussa's competition is largely Islamist. A practicing Muslim himself, he distinguishes his platform by calling it a nationalist one that will restore order through reform.

"Egypt has been injured and Egypt has been mismanaged and Egypt should not get into an experiment that has not been tried before in order for us to enter into a period of confusion," he said.

Political analyst¹⁰ and publisher Hisham Kassem says continued instability, more than a year after Egypt's revolution, plays to Moussa's advantage.

"There are a lot of people who are very disturbed about what is happening in Egypt and remember, this was an urban uprising, not a rural one," said Kassem. "And, the rural vote is very pro-conservative, pro-stability, so I think these are his strong points."

Walking a line between the future and the past, Moussa promises, if elected, to serve only one term, a transitional figure for a nation still in flux. 

1 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

4 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 urbane   

adj.温文尔雅的，懂礼的

参考例句：

• He tried hard to be urbane.他极力作出彬彬有礼的神态。
• Despite the crisis,the chairman's voice was urbane as usual.尽管处于危机之中，董事长的声音还象通常一样温文尔雅。

7 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

8 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

9 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

10 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。