2006年VOA标准英语-Ukraine Quietly Marks Anniversary of Orange Rev

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
22 November 2006

Ukraine is marking the second anniversary of the Orange Revolution - the mass street protests that ousted¹ former President Leonid Kuchma and swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power. Mr. Yushchenko campaigned on a pledge of bringing pro-Western democratic reforms to Ukraine, reforms many Ukrainians feel have yet to materialize.  VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow reports.

-----

opposition2 leader Yulia Tymoshenko's party during a rally in Kiev, Nov. 22, 2006" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070509/1450150.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Ukranian demonstrator holds a flag of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko's party during rally in Kiev, 22 Nov. 2006

Kiev's Independence Square, the main staging point for the throngs³ of orange-clad protestors, is expected to be eerily⁴ quiet Wednesday, with no official festivities planned. That is because these days few Ukrainians feel the popular protests, sparked by massive fraud during the 2004 presidential election, secured any real changes in the government or their lives.

President Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Party is now back in political opposition after a dismal⁵ showing in this year's parliamentary polls. His rival, Viktor Yanukovych, whose initial election win sparked the protests before being overturned, is back in his post as prime minister.

Kiev-based independent political analyst⁶ Ivan Lozowy says Ukraine's opposition protestors placed a lot of faith in Mr. Yushchenko and his pledges to oversee⁷ a host of democratic reforms. Lozowy says that faith has since turned sour and has severely⁸ weakened the president.

"He was not only very popular and accepted in the West, but very popular and accepted within Ukraine," he said. "He won a sweeping⁹ victory against a very, very tough consolidated¹⁰ opponent - namely, the former Kuchma regime, who had really aligned¹¹ everybody else against him. And he wasted this mandate¹² over the last year-and-a-half."

"He has remained aloof¹³, detached, outside of the issues, [and] he's done no policy initiatives that I can recall at all," Lozowy continued. "It is difficult to really understand where he is coming from and where he is going and that is certainly what the average Ukrainian voter sees."

As a result, Analyst Lozowy says President Yushchenko's approval ratings have plummeted¹⁴ to near single digits¹⁵ as his government continues to be plagued by disruptive political infighting.

In the most recent spat¹⁶, Prime Minister Yanukovych called on parliament to dismiss two key ministers considered to be the chief architects of the president's pro-Western policy of seeking EU and NATO membership. Parliament deferred¹⁷ taking up the issue of the foreign and defense¹⁸ ministers until later this year. But Lozowy tells VOA that such circumstances do little to foster the needed impression of stability in Ukraine that could lead to future large-scale Western investment.

Still, Lozowy says some progress has been achieved these past two years.

"In terms of civil society, the press is relatively¹⁹ independent and vibrant²⁰, which is good. This is relatively new for Ukraine and was ushered²¹ in by the Orange Revolution," he noted²². "I think that political pluralism is here to stay for the coming short and medium-term. [But] It is going to take some time before these things take hold and provide the positive results that Ukrainians are waiting for."

President Yushchenko says what is needed now is for Ukraine's democratic forces to unite once again around a new national project.

1 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

2 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。

3 throngs   

n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She muscled through the throngs of people, frantically searching for David. 她使劲挤过人群，拼命寻找戴维。 来自辞典例句
• Our friends threaded their way slowly through the throngs upon the Bridge. 我们这两位朋友在桥上从人群中穿过，慢慢地往前走。 来自辞典例句

4 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

5 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

8 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

9 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

10 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。

11 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

12 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

13 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

14 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

17 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

18 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

19 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

20 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。

21 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 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。