VOA标准英语2012--Ecuador Mulls Giving Julian Assange Asylum

 

Ecuador Mulls Giving Julian Assange Asylum¹

Julian Assange walked into the Ecuadorian Embassy on Tuesday and has been staying there ever since. He spoke² to a radio station in his native Australia from the embassy.

"Ecuador back in 2010 suggested that perhaps I should come to Ecuador and be given residency, so they are sympathetic over a long period of time so we hope that the asylum application will be viewed favorably," he said.

The Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said his government was considering the asylum application.

"We'll take the time that is necessary because we're dealing³ with a very serious topic that we take on with absolute responsibility. However, in the meantime, Mr. Assange is in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and under the protection of the Ecuadorian state," he said. 

Julian Assange founded the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, which published confidential⁴ files on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and thousands of U.S. cables sent between overseas diplomats⁵ and Washington.

Two Wikileaks volunteers in Sweden claim he attacked them in 2010. No charges have been filed. Assange claims the sex was consensual.

Last week Britain's Supreme⁶ Court dismissed his attempt to reopen his extradition⁷ appeal. Assange claims the allegations are politically motivated and fears being extradited to the U.S.

His supporters have followed him throughout his legal battles and have now set up camp outside the embassy.

His move to request asylum appears to have caused some surprise. Among his supporters is Ben Griffin, a former soldier in the British Army.

"We found out that Julian was seeking asylum here at the Ecuadorian Embassy and we are supporting him through that process," he said. "We understand, we acknowledge, we know that he has some very powerful enemies so we are supporting him in this action."

British police say Julian Assange has breached⁸ his bail⁹ conditions by staying at the embassy. If his bid for asylum fails he faces arrest and some of his high profile friends who put up bail money could face big losses.

If Ecuador does give asylum to Julian Assange, analysts¹⁰ say it is likely to cause a serious rift¹¹ in diplomatic relations between Britain and Ecuador.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

8 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

9 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

10 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。

11 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。