2007年VOA标准英语-US Official Praises Philippines For Success in

By Douglas Bakshian
Manila
26 January 2007

Karen Hughes, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy¹ and Public Affairs, has praised the Philippines for pursuing terrorist groups in the country but says economic development is equally important in creating conditions that can sustain peace. Referring to her earlier stops on an Asian tour, Hughes also called for greater openness in China. Douglas Bakshian reports from Manila.

 

The Philippine military this month announced that it had killed two leaders of Abu Sayyaf, the most violent Islamic militant² group in the country.

 

Karen Hughes chats with Filipino World War II veterans following wreath-laying ceremony in Manila, 26 Jan. 2007

Karen Hughes, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, congratulated the military for its campaign, saying it makes the world a safer place.

 

"The Philippine armed forces are very brave, they are on the frontline, they are sacrificing to protect not only the citizens of the Philippines but also Americans and people around the world who are interested in peace and stability and confronting the international threat that terrorism is," she said. " And so I congratulate the Philippine armed forces for their great successes."

 

Hughes spoke³ to reporters at an American military cemetery⁴ in Manila. On Thursday she visited the southern island of Jolo, where the Philippine military is waging its battle against Abu Sayyaf. The group has been blamed for numerous bloody⁵ attacks in the Philippines including the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

 

The U.S. military is advising the Philippines in the offensive on Jolo. With U.S. aid agencies, it is also involved in civilian⁶ works to improve the lives of impoverished⁷ people in the area.

 

Hughes says the war for hearts and minds is as important as military action in combating terror.

 

"We are really investing in people, in people's lives, in providing educational opportunity for young people through computers in the classrooms, through sewing machines in the classrooms, through health care clinics," Hugues said. "And by investing in the lives of people, building a road that will help people bring their goods to market and therefore help people become more prosperous. So we are really investing here in peace and prosperity, in the kind of peaceful development that will in the long run be necessary to sustain the progress against terrorism. "

 

The Philippines is a long-standing U.S. ally. Next month the two nations begin large-scale military exercises involving as many as five thousand U.S. troops.

 

Hughes also stated her belief that it is important for China to continue to open up and be more transparent⁸ as it develops economically.

She had arrived in the Philippines after a tour through China and Hong Kong. Hughes returns to the United States this weekend.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 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。

4 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。