VOA标准英语2013--G8 Leaders Meet on Economy, Syria

 

G8 Leaders Meet on Economy, Syria

The leaders will meet at this isolated¹ lakeside resort in Northern Ireland.  They will have two days of quality time, far from demonstrations² like those in London by self-proclaimed ‘anti-capitalists,’ and far from any protests like this one in January just over 100 kilometers away in Belfast.  

It was a reminder³ that the decades of Protestant-Catholic tensions in Northern Ireland are still not far from the surface. But it’s not the image Britain wants for the summit.  

Officials are trying for something more like last year’s event at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David.  British Prime Minister David Cameron wants the focus on trade, taxation⁴ and transparency, and on at least one key international issue - the conflict in Syria.

“We should use the G8 to try and bring pressure on all sides to bring about what we all want in this House:  a peace conference, a peace process and a move towards a transitional government in Syria,” Cameron said.

The official U.S. determination that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons will harden Western resolve at the summit.  But G8-member Russia will likely continue to oppose any outside move to topple the Syrian regime.  

Kadri Liik is a Russia expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “They don’t necessarily agree with western visions for resolving the [Syria] conflict," he said. "But at the same time they don’t have the leverage⁵ and power to force their own solution.”

Meanwhile, the G8 efforts to tackle world economic issues will be hindered by not having many key players at the table, notably⁶ China and other countries that have gained economic clout⁷ since these summits started 38 years ago.

Stephen Pickford of London’s Chatham House used to help plan the summits. “A lot of the issues that they want to tackle are really quite difficult to tackle without the emerging markets being involved," he stated. "Nevertheless, it’s possible for the G8 to show a bit of a leadership role and to try to move things along.”

For the G8, ‘moving things along’ may be more realistic to expect than major breakthroughs. 

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

4 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

5 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

7 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。