美洲－美国、加拿大和墨西哥就进一步建立联系达成共识

 

US, Canada, Mexico Agree to Forge Closer Ties

 

In a joint¹ statement released after their formal meeting on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, the three leaders announced the creation of the Security and Prosperity Partnership² of North America. This new initiative is aimed at strengthening continental³ security and promoting economic growth, competitiveness and improvements in the quality of life for the citizens of all three nations.

 

President Bush says the trilateral meeting in Waco was only the beginning of the process of creating this new partnership.

 

Mr. Bush: We got a lot to do, so we charged our cabinet ministers with the task of figuring how best to keep this relationship, these relationships, vibrant⁴ and strong. I appreciate the commitment of the prime minister and the president toward a spirit of partnership to outlast⁵ whatever politics may occur.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin says the new initiative will enhance and

strengthen the ties that already exist through the North American Free Trade Agreement.

 

Mr. Martin: We represent three sovereign nations that have formed one of the most successful partnerships⁶ in the world. That being said, we also recognize that we cannot be complacent⁷.  The world is not standing⁸ still.  New economic powerhouses such as China and India are rising and we face new opportunities, but we also face new challenges.

 

For his part, Mexican President Vicente Fox stresses that improvements in security should go hand in hand with economic development.

 

Mr. Fox: We face new threats that carry a risk for our societies, but we also want to work for the good performance of our economies.

 

The three leaders called for the development of two working groups, one on security and the other on prosperity, made up of officials from all three nations, to develop concrete proposals and a schedule for future actions within 90 days.

 

Baylor University Political Science Professor Victor Hinojosa says the plan launched by the three North American leaders in Waco is a bold and ambitious attempt to shape the destiny of the entire continent.

 

Hinojosa: I think this was a remarkable⁹ outline of a really broad agenda. To hear President Bush and Fox and Prime Minister Martin tell their cabinet ministers that they had 90 days to make concrete this agenda, President Fox said to put it in black and white, I am glad I am not one of those ministers, because they outlined a really broad agenda.

 

In addition, President Bush says he would like to see the model of cooperation in North America extended to other nations in the western hemisphere through the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. That proposal, however, has been hampered¹⁰ by Brazil and other South American nations seeking to enhance their own regional accords.

 

Greg Flakus, VOA News, Waco, Texas.

 

 

注释：

campus [5kAmpEs] n. 校园

Waco [5weikEu] n. 韦科（美国得克萨斯州中东部城市）

initiative [i5niFiEtiv] n. 开端

trilateral [trai5lAtErEl] adj. 三边的

cabinet minister 内阁部长

vibrant [5vaibrEnt] adj. 活跃的

appreciate [E5pri:Fieit] vt. 重视

sovereign nation 主权国家

complacent [kEm5pleisnt] adj. 自满的

concrete [5kCnkri:t] adj. 具体的

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

8 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。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。