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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-09-05 Mugabe Maintains Power in Zimbabwe

时间:2013-09-06 13:49:45

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AS IT IS 2013-09-05 Mugabe Maintains Power in Zimbabwe

Hello, and welcome back for another edition of As It Is for the first Thursday in September.  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.  Today, we focus on Zimbabwe’s leader, Robert Mugabe.  What is his history?  What has he done well, and not so well, as he has led his nation for over three decades?

And then, some surprising information from the World Health Organization about food and African children.  It seems that far too many young people weigh too much, not too little as you might expect.  So let’s get started and travel to a country of 13 million people in the southern part of Africa. 

Robert Mugabe has led Zimbabwe for 33 years. He recently was sworn-in as the country’s president for a seventh time. Mr. Mugabe won re-election on July 31st with 61 percent of the votes. But many people say the election may have been dishonest. Months before the voting, he said, “My people need me.”

The opposition2 Movement for Democratic Change party boycotted3 the swearing-in ceremony earlier this month. At the event, President Mugabe promised to serve Zimbabwe for another five years. That means he will be in office until he is 94 years of age.  And, he plans to seek re-election after that. Mr. Mugabe once said he would serve until age 100.

He is the only leader that Zimbabwe has known since it officially gained independence from Britain in 1980. At first, he held the position of prime minister.

Tom Wheeler is a former South African diplomat4. He says Robert Mugabe showed promise as a leader in the early 1980s. He rose to power at that time as a freedom fighter. He struggled to end white rule and secure independence for Zimbabwe. But the former diplomat says Mr. Mugabe suffers from pride – that he seems very pleased with himself. He says the president is like other African leaders who could not foresee the possibility of giving up power.

Mr. Wheeler says that in one way, Robert Mugabe is a bright and well educated man who did good things for Zimbabwe in the beginning. But he condemned5 other actions.

“But there were also some really bad things.”

Mr. Wheeler notes that after Mr. Mugabe came to power, he called on Zimbabweans to forget their racial divisions and work for their future.

In 1982, however, soldiers under his command killed an estimated 20,000 people in an area where many of his opponents lived. His government ordered the seizing of farms that belonged to whites in the late nineteen nineties and early 2000s. Western countries have taken steps against Mr. Mugabe and his aides for more than 10 years to punish what they say are human rights abuses.

Faith Zaba has served as political editor and news editor for the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper. She compares Mr. Mugabe to the sun around which all of the country’s political leaders move.

Ms. Zaba says the president has softened6 a little in his old age. She says he may even be ready to reach out to his opponents in the Movement for Democratic Change.

“In terms of the way he’s approaching things, he’s not as hard hitting as he was before 2009…That’s a different Mugabe we’re seeing.”

But an opposition activist7 based in South Africa calls Robert Mugabe a fallen hero. The activist, Kumbirai Muchemwa, accuses him of putting politics above the well-being8 of average Zimbabweans. He says Mr. Mugabe should have a better plan for the economy. And he says the president does not care for his people.

Too Many Children Are Overweight

If you asked the average American what he thinks about African children, he would probably say that most of them live in poverty and are very thin.  That average American, and perhaps many other people in the world, would probably be surprised by a recent World Health Organization report that paints a very different picture.  Karen Leggett tells us what the report said.

 The World Health Organization says there has been a sharp increase in the number of children in developing countries who weigh too much. In African countries, the WHO says the number of overweight or obese9 children is two times as high as it was 20 years ago.

Around the world, about 43-million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011. Doctors use height, weight and age to measure whether a person is underweight, normal, overweight or obese.

Overweight and obese children are more likely to become overweight and obese adults. The condition can lead to serious health problems like diabetes10, heart disease and stroke.

Francesco Branca is the director of the WHO Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. He says people are eating manufactured, or processed, food more often. He says it often has a high sugar, fat and salt content.

The WHO also says people are gaining weight because of city lifestyles. They travel in cars or other vehicles more than on foot. They are less physically11 active in general.

The WHO says it is common to find poor nutrition and obesity12 in the same country, the same community and even in the same family. And experts say lowering obesity rates is especially complex in countries that also deal with high rates of infectious diseases.

The WHO has some basic solutions for individuals and countries. The organization says to lower your intake13 of fat, sugar, salt and processed food. It says eat more fruits and vegetables and increase physical activity.

The WHO says these actions are especially important for children. 

And WHO experts say mothers should breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of life, if possible.

WHO official Francesco Branca says governments should consider providing vitamins for children. He says educational campaigns about problems linked to obesity would also help. And he says government policies should deal with how food is marketed to children.

Mister Branca says food manufacturers must balance quality and taste with the dangers of sugar, fat and salt.

He also said reducing the number of overweight children will not be easy. He says the goal is difficult to meet even in wealthy countries.

The current goal of the WHO’s World Health Assembly is to prevent any increase in the percentage of overweight children during the next 12 years.  I’m Karen Leggett.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  Thank you for spending some time with us today.  We will leave you with the wonderful voice of Carol Lawrence, who celebrates her 78th birthday today.  Many remember her for her performance in the Broadway musical “West Side Story” when she sang this classic American song by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.  We’ll see you next time. 


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
2 opposition eIUxU     
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。
3 boycotted 6c96ed45faa5f8d73cbb35ff299d9ccc     
抵制,拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
  • The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程,要宫路下台。
4 diplomat Pu0xk     
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。
5 condemned 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。
6 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
7 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
8 well-being Fe3zbn     
n.安康,安乐,幸福
参考例句:
  • He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
  • My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福,却被误解为多管闲事。
9 obese uvIya     
adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的
参考例句:
  • The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了,不能算是健康。
  • Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。
10 diabetes uPnzu     
n.糖尿病
参考例句:
  • In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者,医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
  • Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。
11 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
12 obesity Dv1ya     
n.肥胖,肥大
参考例句:
  • One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
  • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
13 intake 44cyQ     
n.吸入,纳入;进气口,入口
参考例句:
  • Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
  • There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

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