VOA常速英语2014--奥巴马欧洲行既得到支持也听到批评

 

Obama Finds Support, Criticism on Europe Visit 奥巴马欧洲行既得到支持也听到批评

LONDON — U.S. President Barack Obama spent the week in Europe, grappling with a variety of issues, and finding varying degrees of support from European allies.

国总统奥巴马本星期在欧洲访问，摆在他面前的是一系列的问题，而欧洲盟国对他的支持程度也各有不同。

The weather was not the only thing that was a bit stormy during President Obama’s visit.

在奥巴马访欧期间，风云多变的不仅仅是天气。

He received an enthusiastic welcome in Poland, one of many former Soviet¹ satellites that is concerned about Russia’s moves to re-establish at least part of its old sphere of influence - exemplified by its actions in Ukraine.

他在波兰受到了热情的欢迎。波兰等前苏联卫星国担心俄罗斯重新恢复势力范围。它在乌克兰的行动就是例证。

And that country’s new president-elect thanked Obama for his support and expressed interest in closer relations.

波兰新当选的总统波罗申科感谢奥巴马的支持并表示希望进一步改善关系。

But while the United States remains² close to its traditional allies in Western Europe, these countries are also secure enough to be more critical of U.S. policies and plans.

可是，美国虽然仍和西欧传统盟国保持密切关系，但这些国家同时也有足够的安全感，可以批评美国的政策和计划。

The multiple European viewpoints are a function of history, geography and local politics, according to Raoul Ruparel, at the Open Europe research organization.

研究机构“开放欧洲”（Open Europe）的鲁帕瑞尔认为，欧洲人观点各异，这是历史、地理和地方政治因素造成的。

“You know, these divisions have been engrained for some time," he said. "And I think that we’re now looking at the stage where the U.S. is trying to find the best way to manage them.”

他说：“要知道，这些分歧根深蒂固，有些年头了。我认为，我们现在看到的是，美国正试图找到管控分歧的最佳方式。”

Here in London, one newspaper reflected the varying views of President Obama’s policies.  On Wednesday the Times said the president’s billion-dollar plan to improve military readiness in Europe is part of a new Cold War. The next day, it said Obama’s major foreign policy speech last week signaled a new American isolationism.

在伦敦，一家报纸就反映出对奥巴马总统政策的不同观点。星期三，《泰晤士报》说，奥巴马投入10亿美元改善在欧洲的军事备战能力的计划是新冷战的一部分。可同一家报纸转天又说，奥巴马上星期的重要外交政策演说显示，美国走向新的孤立主义。

Meanwhile, the Guardian³ highlighted differences between the president and various European leaders over wire-tapping, trade and other issues.

与此同时，《卫报》突出了奥巴马与欧洲各国领导人在监听、贸易和其它问题上的分歧。

Still, as Obama met with key allies at a Group of Seven session in Brussels - without Russia because of its annexation⁴ of Crimea - agreement was expected on top issues like Syria, Iran, Ukraine and the economy.

不过，奥巴马与关键盟国的领导人在布鲁塞尔会面，参加七国集团会议，各国在叙利亚、伊朗、乌克兰以及经济等重大问题上达成共识，这也在人们预料之中。俄罗斯因为吞并克里米亚被排除在会议大门外。

But on other questions, including future relations with Russia and who will pay for improved defenses, differences will remain.

可是，在其它问题上，包括未来对俄关系以及由谁为加强防御买单，分歧仍然存在。

The leaders will meet again Friday in Northern France to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there. The event will serve as a reminder⁵ of shared western values and goals, as well as real differences on today’s issues.

各国领导人星期五在法国北部再次聚首，纪念诺曼底登陆70周年。俄罗斯总统普京也到场共襄盛举。这次活动既告诉世人西方国家共有的价值观和目标，也提醒人们，在当今各项问题上，各国还存在着切实的分歧。

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 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。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 annexation   

n.吞并，合并

参考例句：

• He mentioned the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 .他提及1910年日本对朝鲜的吞并。
• I regard the question of annexation as belonging exclusively to the United States and Texas.我认为合并的问题，完全属于德克萨斯和美国之间的事。

5 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。