2006年VOA标准英语-Sri Lanka's Ruling Party Heads for Victory

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
31 March 2006
 

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 31, 2006  
  
Sri Lanka's ruling party is heading for a sweeping¹ victory in local elections, raising hopes that President Mahinda Rajapakse will be able to build on a recent peace initiative with Tamil Tiger rebels.

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President Mahinda Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance has made a stronger-than-expected showing in local elections, winning a majority of the districts that were contested.

In contrast, a Marxist ally of the president, the Peoples Liberation Front, or JVP, fared poorly, despite widespread expectations that the party would substantially increase its share of seats.

The JPV is part of the President's coalition² government, but had fought the local elections independently.

The main opposition³ party, the United National Party, also trailed the ruling alliance.

Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, the Director of Colombo's Center for Policy Alternatives, says the results are being seen as an endorsement⁴ of President Rajapakse, who opened peace talks with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam last month despite reservations from hard-line allies like the JVP.

"In terms of the peace process, there is some space to be able to say that because the JPV has not fared as well as they expected to, that the President's hand is somewhat strengthened, and that he would have greater room for maneuver," he said.

The JVP, whose supporters are among Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority, was widely seen as an impediment to turning a four-year ceasefire with the Tamil rebels into a lasting⁵ peace.

The rebels have fought a violent, two-decade-long insurgency⁶, demanding an autonomous⁷ Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country. The JVP opposes giving concessions⁸ to the minority Tamils.

President Rajapakse, too, originally promised a tough line with the rebels when he fought national elections alongside his allies four months ago. But he changed tack⁹ when a four-year-old ceasefire came close to collapsing¹⁰.

His government has now held one round of peace talks with the rebels. The two sides are due to hold a second round next month in Switzerland.

Jehan Perera, head of the National Peace Council in Colombo, says he hopes the election results will make it possible for the government to take a more conciliatory line with the Tamil Tigers, also known as the LTTE.

"It is my hope that after these elections, the President will feel more liberated¹¹ to be more proactive," said Perera. "He will follow a more proactive and accommodative policy toward the LTTE that will lead to a reinvigoration of the peace process."

A 2002 truce¹² with the rebels raised hopes of settling Sri Lanka's ethnic¹³ conflict, but efforts to negotiate a concrete settlement have been unsuccessful so far.

1 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？

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 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。

4 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

8 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

9 tack   

n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝

参考例句：

• He is hammering a tack into the wall to hang a picture.他正往墙上钉一枚平头钉用来挂画。
• We are going to tack the map on the wall.我们打算把这张地图钉在墙上。

10 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

11 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

12 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

13 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。