VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS - Japan and the United States held meetings in Washington

 

AS IT IS - Japan and the United States held meetings in Washington

From VOA Learning English, welcome to AS IT IS. I’m your host Mario Ritter. 

Japan and the United States have deep economic and security ties. The two sides held meetings in Washington in late February. VOA spoke¹ with Japan’s foreign minister. Also, human rights activists² have called on Taiwan to end its use of the death penalty. They say continued use of capital punishment hurts Taiwan’s human rights standing³. And March eighth is International Women’s Day. We look at conditions for women in South Sudan, the world’s newest country. 

Recently, VOA reporter Steve Herman spoke with Japan’s Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida. They talked about a number of issues, including North Korea and Japanese relations with China. Steve Ember tells us about some of the issues. 

North Korea is Japan’s neighbor. Nuclear and missile tests in North Korea continue to raise security concerns for the Japanese. 

Foreign Minister Kishida says his country is expecting stronger international action against North Korea for its most recent tests. But he noted⁴ the importance of diplomacy⁵ with the North Koreans. 

Mr. Kishida says Japan "needs to deal with North Korea in a balance between dialogue and pressure." He noted an agreement the two sides signed 11 years ago as the basis for this. In his words, Japan must "firmly and strongly continue to ask North Korea for a comprehensive resolution" of the issues of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development. 

International concerns over North Korea’s activities have led to warnings and sanctions from the United Nations Security Council. Recently, a North Korean-controlled website in China claimed that North Korea is now secure from foreign attack. The website said this is because the United States is now within range of, what it called, "strategic rockets and nuclear weapons." 

Japan and other many countries say China has the most influence over North Korea. But Japan and China are involved in territorial⁶ disputes. Their competing claims have led to conflicts at sea and even in the air. Most recently, Japan and China traded accusations⁷ over an incident in the East China Sea. It took place at the end of January near islands known as Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyu in China. 

Fumio Kishida said he was satisfied with United States support of Japan’s territorial claims. But some Japanese have been hoping for more openly supportive statements from American officials. 

I’m Steve Ember. 

For many people, executing someone as punishment for a crime is a human rights issue. There have been international appeals to end such executions on the island of Taiwan. But the government there says it will continue to enforce the death penalty. Kelly Jean Kelly has more. 

Taiwan ended a five-year informal ban on the death penalty in 2010. Six people were put to death in the latest series of executions last December. 

The executions have been denounced by European Union members and rights groups. 

tells VOA only murderers who kill more than one person or use brutality⁸ face the death penalty. 

He says Taiwanese officials have spoken with officials in European countries and diplomatic offices around the world. 

Opinion studies show there is strong support for the measure in Taiwan. Seventy-seven percent of those questioned approve of capital punishment. 

Taiwan has executed 15 people since 2010. Amnesty International says 676 people were executed worldwide in 2011. But that number does not include China, which is believed to execute thousands of people every year. 

Since Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, he has attempted to use "soft power" to bring attention to Taiwan’s cultural and humanitarian⁹ record. Lin Hsin-yi heads a group called the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty. She says international criticism hurts Taiwan. 

She says human rights are the best way for Taiwan to build soft power. 

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. 

South Sudan fought for years to win independence from Sudan. South Sudanese women are facing a similar struggle for their rights. As we hear from June Simms, fighting may have ended in the new nation, but violence and sexual abuse are still problems. 

Domestic or family violence is hard to discuss in a nation where many people consider it normal for a woman to be beaten and strange for a wife to leave her husband. 

Committee operates a clinic for sex based violence in Lakes state. Abendego Mabior Nyinde is a medical worker. He says knowledge about diseases such as AIDS has led more women to report rape¹⁰. But he says many do not speak out for fear that admitting such an attack will lower their value as a future wife. 

In South Sudan, a woman's family can request a large number of cattle for her to be given in marriage. But Mary Ayei Yai, a mother of eight children, says the deal often leaves women trapped and open to abuse. 

Jenny Becker works for the International Rescue Committee. She says getting women out of abusive situations is a duty that officials have trouble dealing¹¹ with. 

“They’re really actually putting their life on the line if they want to step in and stop anything-actually using the law is very dangerous for them. 

Officials say there are laws in South Sudan to protect the rights of women. But many say the reality is that traditional law and a male-dominated culture most often win out. 

I’m June Simms. 

Thank you for joining us today.

1 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。

2 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》

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

7 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

8 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

11 dealing   

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。