2006年VOA标准英语-Castro's Sister Reports Cuban Leader Is Very Si

By Lisa Ferdinando
Miami
04 August 2006

As Cuban exiles in Miami continue to debate about the condition of Cuban President Fidel Castro, his sister, Juanita Castro, who fled her brother's regime more than four decades ago, said the Cuban leader is very sick. The Bush administration is urging Cubans to work for democratic change in their communist-ruled country.

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Juanita Castro  
  
Juanita Castro told reporters Thursday Fidel is quite ill, but besides that, she knows very little else about the condition of her older brother.

"He's very sick. That's it, I don't have other information, unfortunately no. It's not easy, my communication right now with the regime," she said.

Ms. Castro spoke¹ outside a small pharmacy² she runs in Miami.

She fled the island amid political differences with her brother. But despite that, she said, they are still bound by family ties.

"We are separated for political reason, ideological³ reason, but that's it. The blood is strong. The relation between brother and sister and father and mother is very strong. Nobody can condemn⁴ me because I take this determination to publicly speak out what I feel," she said.

President Castro transfered power to his younger brother, Defense⁵ Minister Raul Castro, on Monday after he underwent surgery for intestinal⁶ bleeding. But both Fidel and Raul have not been seen in public since the announcement.

If Raul was to permanently⁷ take power, she says, she wishes for God to illuminate⁸ him, and for him to have a clear mind to be the way to achieve a real democracy in Cuba.

State-run media has carried headlines wishing President Castro a speedy recovery. But the mood is much different in Miami's large exile community.

Crowds have gathered each night since the announcement in the Little Havana neighborhood cheering and waving Cuban flags to celebrate what they hope is the end of Mr. Castro's rule.

In Washington Thursday, President George W. Bush is calling all democratic nations to unite in support of the right of the Cuban people to define a democratic future for their country.

In his first statement on the event, Mr. Bush said the U.S. is absolutely committed to supporting the Cuban people's aspirations⁹ for democracy and freedom. And he promises to stand ready to provide humanitarian¹⁰ assistance as needed to help them in their transition time.

President Castro, who turns 80 August 13, has said in a statement that his health is stable, but he needs time to recover.

1 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。

2 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

3 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

4 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

5 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。

6 intestinal   

adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌

参考例句：

• A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
• This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句

7 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

8 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

9 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。