2007年VOA标准英语-EU 50th Birthday Overshadowed by Tensions Over

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
25 March 2007

German Chancellor² Angela Merkel has warned European Union leaders that they will make "a historic failure" if they do not agree on a time table for the adoption³ of an EU constitution. Ms. Merkel spoke⁴ in Berlin at the main celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bloc⁵'s founding Treaty of Rome. Commemorations are also held in Rome, Brussels and Budapest, from where Stefan Bos reports.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, gestures while speaking during a final media conference after an EU summit in Berlin, 25 Mar 2007

The "Ode To Joy" from Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the European Union anthem⁶, was the musical highlight at an otherwise solemn ceremony in Germany's capital Berlin.

Leaders of the 27 EU member states recalled that a half century ago in the aftermath of World War Two the block's founding fathers signed The Treaty of Rome, which later led to the establishment of the European Union.

The main ceremony was held in Berlin because Germany holds the EU rotating presidency⁷.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in what was then communist East Germany, appeared joyful⁸ that the ceremony could be held in Berlin, which until German re-unification in 1990 was a symbol of Europe's division.

Ms. Merkel said she regrets the European Union remains⁹ divided over adopting a constitution. She vowed¹⁰ Germany would push for renewal¹¹ of the constitutional treaty that was blocked by Dutch and French 'no' votes in referendums in 2005.

Ms. Merkel urged fellow EU leaders to agree on a timetable for the bloc's constitution by the end of June.

"I am working to ensure that a roadmap for this can be adopted at the close of Germany's EU presidency, and I am counting on your support," she said. "I am certain that it is not only in the interest of Europe, but also of the individual member states and the citizens of the Europe, that this process be brought to a successful conclusion. Ms. Merkel said not to do so would be an historic failure.

Ms. Merkel said a constitution is needed for the bloc at a time when it plays a more global role, both economically and in its campaign defending human rights, including in nearby Belarus and further away in Sudan and Zimbabwe.

At the same time, pro-democracy activists¹² aimed to rally thousands of supporters in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, hoping to increase the momentum¹³ for change in the authoritarian¹⁴ ex-Soviet republic. Last year's annual protest march on what the opposition¹⁵ calls Freedom Day, the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first Belarusian state, ended with police clubbing defiant¹⁶ demonstrators and detaining hundreds. 

In Berlin, Merkel and other officials signed The Berlin Declaration, which recalls the Treaty of Rome and spells out the future role of the European Union.

It says it remains "committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world" and wants to ensure "that people do not become victims of war, terrorism and violence." The declaration also pledges to take a leading role to "drive back poverty, hunger and disease."

European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said the Berlin Declaration is a good base for future negotiations¹⁷ on the constitution.

"The text says what we have to do in the future. And the text commits ourselves to do everything to reform the European Union before the next European elections in June 2009," he said. "Some countries have a problem with the word constitution, which I personally and the European Parliament like very much. But the most decisive is that we can keep the substance of the Constitutional Treaty. If we do so and if we can find an agreement on the substance, that is the most important."

Public opinion polls show that nearly half of all European Union citizens believe the institution is far removed from their everyday lives.

Hungary is among the most skeptical¹⁸ countries with polls showing that just about 39 percent of the population believes EU membership is beneficial. Commentators¹⁹ suggest it will take more than this weekend's EU-sponsored concerts in Brussels and night club or museum visits in Berlin, to change attitudes among Europeans.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

3 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

4 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。

5 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

6 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

7 presidency   

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。

8 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

9 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。

10 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

11 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

12 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

14 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

15 opposition   

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。

16 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

17 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

18 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

19 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》