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VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-04-11 Amnesty International Issues New Guide on Fair Trials 国际特赦组织在公平审判问题上发布新的指南

时间:2014-04-21 15:38:20

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AS IT IS 2014-04-11 Amnesty International Issues New Guide on Fair Trials 国际特赦组织在公平审判问题上发布新的指南

Hello, my friends, and welcome back.  It is time to learn and improve your American English.  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.  On today’s program, two subjects of a serious nature.  First, we will tell you about a new book from Amnesty International that aims to make sure trials around the world are fair, and that judges, lawyers, and political leaders are held accountable.

Then we take another look at the fight against the Ebola virus in West Africa.  If you live in Guinea or Liberia, or know someone who does, you will want to pay close attention.

Seven days each week, on radio, television, and the Internet, we give you our world …good or bad …As It Is.

Amnesty International has produced a new book designed to guide fair trials around the world.  The rights group says the book should have an effect even in some of the world’s most repressive countries.  June Simms has more.

The thick book explores such issues as the “right to liberty” and the “right to equality before the law.”  It also investigates subjects like dealing2 with torture, the rights of children and military courts.

The book is aimed at lawyers and judges.  Amnesty International published a similar guide 15 years ago.  That book was also used by (other) people to help them press for their rights. 

Michael Bochenek heads International Law and Policy at Amnesty International.  He says fair trials are mainly a problem in repressive countries.  But he says they also exist in developed democracies.  He says the problems are most common in countries in crisis3.

“We continue to see backsliding year in and year out when it comes to things like how you respond to public protest, how you deal with political opponents, how you avoid reaching for easy solutions in an effort to solve what is actually a far more difficult social problem.”

Michael Bochenek says the guide book is based on international and other legal policies.  He says it provides a tool to educate judges, lawyers and political leaders, and to put pressure on them when necessary.

“I think there is a growing recognition4 of what it takes to adhere5 to due process.  And I think there is more sensitivity6 than ever before and more opportunity for states to be held to account publicly than ever before.”

He says no official wants to be identified for using torture or for violating7 widely-recognized rights, even in the most repressive societies.

“It may be that, in particular cases where we’re seeing the most abuses, these kinds of standards that we are pointing to are going to be disregarded8.  But it makes a difference over time, in the way that more generally they respect the fair trial rights than everybody should have.”

He says no single project can end the many problems in legal systems around the world.  But he says it is an important part of the effort to protect what he calls, “one of the basic building blocks of life in a democratic society.”  I’m June Simms.

Ebola Virus Deaths Increase

The World Health Organization says one of the biggest tests it has ever faced is fighting the growing number of Ebola cases in West Africa.  The WHO reported earlier this week that the Ebola virus has killed more than 100 people in Guinea, and at least 10 others in Liberia.  WHO officials are most concerned that Ebola has spread from the forests of southern Guinea to the country’s capital.  Bob Doughty9 has more on the story.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders is helping10 local health care workers treat Ebola patients.  Up to 90 percent of those infected in Guinea have died from the disease. 

Many people are frightened.  This man says most people had not heard of the Ebola virus before the outbreak.  He says now they are very afraid.

The virus has spread to the capital, Conakry, from forests in the south.  The World Health Organization is concerned that Ebola is now being reported in an area where it had not appeared before. 

Anthony Fauci is one of America’s top experts on infectious11 diseases.  He says Ebola’s appearance in West Africa should not come as a surprise.

 

“It’s a disease that’s spread by direct contact with an infected person, but it’s also spread by exposure to an infected animal like a bat.  And, since we know those animals are in those areas of those adjacent12 countries, it’s not unusual to see outbreaks in areas of southern Africa that are adjacent to each other.”

Fruit bats are the main carriers of Ebola.  But the virus does not kill the animals.  People get the virus from infected bats or other animals.  Dr. Fauci says people need to avoid eating bats or other wild animals when there’s a possibility of Ebola.

The signs of the disease are very much like to those suffered by people with influenza13.  They include a high body temperature, weakness, muscle pain, and pain in the head or throat.  But that is where the comparison ends.  Individuals infected with Ebola will expel14 food or fluids from the mouth.  Other signs are the expulsion of body wastes and bleeding, either inside or outside the body.

Dr. Fauci says influenza is passed through the air, Ebola is not.

“Ebola is almost invariable spread by direct contact with bodily fluids, particularly blood and secretions- vomit15, things like that – of people who are deathly ill and people are taking care of them.  So it’s usually family members, health care providers, minister who minister to the sick and to the dead, and to morticians who take care of the bodies.”

The best way to control the virus is to get people with signs of Ebola into restricted areas.  Researchers are working to find effective medicines.  But for now, the best chances of beating the disease are to drink plenty of fluids and get treated for secondary infections.

A number of patients in Guinea have recovered and been sent home from treatment centers.  But that does not mean they are completely free of Ebola.  The World Health Organization warns that men who have recovered can still pass the virus to sex partners for up to seven weeks after they recover.  I’m Bob Doughty.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  Before we move aside for some more Learning English programs, here is your history lesson for the day.  Exactly one week after the assassination16 of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act.  Johnson called it “one of the proudest moments of my presidency17.” 

Today begins the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, Kentucky.  The fun lasts for nearly a month as one and a half million people visit the southern city for food, fun, and music, leading up to the famous horse race.  It is called the “Run for the Roses” because the winning horse and rider receive roses …and money …and fame!

And in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, it is the 26th annual Ozark Mountain UFO Conference, as people from around the world get together to hear the latest information about unidentified flying objects.  Many people believe that we are not the only life in the universe, and that space aliens exist and may have even visited Earth.


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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 dealing NvjzWP     
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。
3 crisis pzJxT     
n.危机,危急关头,决定性时刻,关键阶段
参考例句:
  • He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明,在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
  • The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。
4 recognition zUYxm     
n.承认,认可,认出,认识
参考例句:
  • The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
  • A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意,表示认识对方。
5 adhere lyszT     
vi.粘附,附着,遵守,坚持,追随,支持
参考例句:
  • Most people adhere to the church of their parents.多数人都依附于父母的教会。
  • They failed to adhere to our original agreement.他们未能遵守我们原定的协议。
6 sensitivity 4DtzQ     
n.敏感(性),灵敏(度)
参考例句:
  • Hearing sensitivity declines with age.听觉因年老而衰退。
  • Such is the sensitivity of the information that only two people are allowed to know it.这信息极为敏感,只允许两个人知道。
7 violating f21f0743189bca7a9c9bcb89353e0ff3     
亵渎( violate的现在分词 ); 违反; 侵犯; 强奸
参考例句:
  • Ignorance of a law does not excuse a man for violating it. 一个人不懂法律不构成犯法的理由。
  • It was sued by the U.S. federal government for violating antitrust law. 它被美国联邦政府指控违反了反托拉斯法。
8 disregarded f8d32e60c5e09b5e80b96d73d8355d2e     
不顾,不理会,无视( disregard的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The board completely disregarded my recommendations. 董事会完全无视我的建议。
  • He utterly disregarded my warnings and met with on accident. 他全然不听我的警告,结果出了事故。
9 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。
10 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
11 infectious I7jx1     
adj.传染的,有传染性的,有感染力的
参考例句:
  • Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
  • What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊!
12 adjacent 8JbyR     
adj.(to)邻近的,毗连的
参考例句:
  • These young students lives in adjacent rooms.这些年轻的学生住在毗连的房间里。
  • The house adjacent to ours is under repairs.与我家相邻的房子正在修缮。
13 influenza J4NyD     
n.流行性感冒,流感
参考例句:
  • They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
  • Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
14 expel hhDzd     
vt.把...开除,驱逐,放逐,排出,喷出
参考例句:
  • They were told at first that they should simply expel the refugees.一开始有人告诉他们应该直接将那些难民驱逐出境。
  • The headmaster may expel the boy from the school.校长可能要把那个男孩从学校开除。
15 vomit TL9zV     
v.呕吐,作呕;n.呕吐物,吐出物
参考例句:
  • They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
  • She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛,开始呕吐起来。
16 assassination BObyy     
n.暗杀;暗杀事件
参考例句:
  • The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
  • Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年,林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
17 presidency J1HzD     
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
参考例句:
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

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