2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Pushes for Strong US-Asia Ties in Pre-APEC

By Paula Wolfson
Singapore
16 November 2006

President Bush says the United States must stay engaged in Asia to boost prosperity and security around the Pacific Rim¹. In a speech kicking off a three-nation visit to Southeast Asia, the president focused on promoting free trade and dealing² with the proliferation threat posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

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George W. Bush waves to students after delivering speech at National University of Singapore, Nov. 16, 2006

President Bush set the tone for the trip with his speech at the National University of Singapore.

"In this new century, America will remain engaged in Asia because our interests depend on the expansion of freedom and opportunity in this region," the president said.

Speaking in this bustling³ island state, the president spoke⁴ at length about the power of trade to boost economies. He urged the nations attending this week's Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam to help get the current round of global trade talks back on track. And he spoke of the notion of a Pacific Rim free trade zone.

"Recently, some APEC members have advanced the idea of a free trade agreement for the entire APEC region. I believe this idea deserves serious consideration," he said.

Mr. Bush made no mention of the changes taking place in the U.S. Congress where Democrats⁵ - including some who have challenged his trade policies - are getting ready to take control of both chambers⁶. But he did refer in general to opponents of free trade. He said they are wrong.

"We hear voices calling on us to retreat from the world and close our doors to its opportunities," Mr. Bush said. "These are the old temptations of isolationism and protectionism. And America must reject them."

Asian leaders are also watching to see what, if any, affect the U.S. election results may have on U.S. security policy in the region. Mr. Bush said the United States remains⁷ committed to regional security, and he talked tough about the challenge posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The president said the risk of North Korean nuclear arms ending up in the wrong hands is the biggest proliferation threat facing the Asia-Pacific region. He urged North Korea to prove its good faith by taking what he called "a peaceful path" to defuse the crisis.

"Pyongyang must show it is serious by taking concrete steps to implement⁸ its agreement to give up its nuclear weapons and weapons programs," he said.

President Bush plans to meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Hanoi with the leaders of all the other countries involved in the six-party talks with North Korea: South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.

In these and other discussions, the president is expected to bring up challenges such as combating disease, and the need to develop alternative sources of energy. He also stressed in Singapore that he wants to use this trip to promote the power of freedom, saying it has already transformed nations across Asia.

Mr. Bush flies to Hanoi Friday for the APEC summit, before heading to Indonesia on Monday.

1 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

2 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。

3 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

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 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。