2006年VOA标准英语-Activists Rally for Darfur at US Capitol

By Dan Robinson
Washington
06 April 2006
 

Demonstrators on Darfur outside US Capitol  
  
Activists¹ pressing for stronger U.S. and international action on Darfur rallied at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. As we hear in this report from VOA congressional correspondent Dan Robinson, members of Congress joined peace walkers and others seeking to draw more public attention to the Darfur situation.

As with similar issues such as South Africa and Burma, the situation in Darfur has slowly but steadily² generated public activism in the United States, as well as in other countries.

A glimpse of that could be seen on the West front of the U.S. Capitol as about 200 people involved in the Sudan Campaign were joined by House and Senate lawmakers in a demonstration³ of support of the people of Darfur.

The event marked the culmination⁴ of the organization's Freedom Walk, in which Simon Deng, a Sudanese man captured into slavery as a child in Sudan and now living in the U.S., walked from New York City to Washington.

He is now working to spread awareness⁵ about modern slavery, particularly in Sudan, as well as atrocities⁶ in Darfur. "I walked from New York to Washington, D.C. I am not crazy. When I see a child in Darfur in the desert, I saw myself over there. When I see houses being burned down in Darfur it is exactly what we saw in southern Sudan for years and years and years," he said.

"Simon Deng is an American hero. He walked here from New York City so African people can walk freely in their own land. We said never again, but on our watch today an entire people is methodically being destroyed. If we cannot or will not stop it and save them, then we can at least speak the truth to them in the face of this genocide," said Charles Jacobs, chairman of the American Anti-Slavery Group:

 
Former NBA Star Manute Bol
  
Also appearing at the rally was Manute Bol, the Sudanese-American basketball player who made history when he joined the N.B.A. in the 1980's eventually playing with four professional teams until 1996. "We can talk, like Simon said, but if we don't take action, nobody [in Darfur] can be saved," he said.

On a cool, windy day at the Capitol, demonstrators were joined by lawmakers who have supported House and Senate legislation on Darfur, including resolutions declaring atrocities there to be genocide.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton is among those calling on President Bush to appoint a high-level envoy⁷ to work on the Darfur issue, and efforts to fully⁸ implement⁹ the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

She has this additional suggestion. "We need to convene¹⁰ a meeting of world leaders to establish a clear plan on how to protect civilians¹¹ in Darfur. You know it's more than 100 weeks of genocide and we have never had that kind of meeting."

 

(R to L) Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Joe Crowley and Rep. Donald Payne   
  
Republican Senator Sam Brownback said student activism will be the key to keeping the Darfur issue in the public eye. "We need you to keep pushing. We haven't seen a student movement in this country for a lot of years. This [issue] needs to be a student movement. You guys need to carry this. Keep pushing. And let me say as well, if you don't people will die," he said.

Some of the students the lawmaker was referring to came from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Maryland, who were led by 17-year-old senior Nicole Williamson. "We had Hillary Clinton speaking earlier. This is just to get them [members of Congress] to realize what is happening and get them to take action. I think they will listen," she said.

Radio talk show host Joe Madison says while activism on Darfur has not yet reached the levels seen in campaigns against the former apartheid government in South Africa, it is growing stronger. "It is building, and these type of activities and the support of members of Congress can only help the cause," he said.

Wednesday's demonstration will be followed by a larger event on April 30 called The Rally to Stop Genocide.

Representatives of human rights groups and religious groups will appear with Holocaust¹², genocide, and ethnic¹³ cleansing¹⁴ survivors¹⁵ from Cambodia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and Darfur, as well as with celebrities¹⁶ and members of Congress.

1 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》

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 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。

10 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

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。

14 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

15 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

16 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目