VOA常速英语2007年-Liberian President and Cuban Dissident Among US

By Cindy Saine
Washington
05 November 2007

President Bush has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, imprisoned¹ Cuban dissident Oscar Elias Biscet, and six others. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

The children of Oscar Elias Biscet, a human rights activist², who is in prison in Cuba, received the medal on behalf of their father at a White House ceremony Monday.

President Bush said Oscar Biscet is a political prisoner who is "dangerous" to the Cuban dictatorship because he has always told the truth.

"In captivity³ for most of the last eight years, he has continued to embody⁴ courage and dignity," he said. "His example is a rebuke⁵ to the tyrants⁶ and secret police of a regime whose day is passing. Dr. Biscet is also a young man. God willing, he will soon regain⁷ his freedom as justice demands."

President Bush also presented the honor to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was on hand to have the president fasten the medal around her neck. He said the first woman elected to head a nation on the African continent has always been a pioneer, and praised her for seeking to heal a country torn apart by years of civil war.

"Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stood up for the democratic rights of her fellow citizens," said President Bush. "She never wavered, even though the consequences were house arrests, or foreign exile, death threats and imprisonment⁸."

Mr. Bush said President Sirleaf has the tough mind of a natural-born executive, who knows how to get things done and knows what she wants when she comes to Washington.

"You see when the president comes to the Oval Office, she walks in with a 'To-Do' list," he said.

The president also gave the award to Harper Lee, the author of the 1960 novel about racial injustice⁹, "To Kill a Mockingbird." Mr. Bush said that Lee's novel has influenced the character of America for the better, and that her "wise and kind" heart comes through on every page.

The president also presented the honor to economist¹⁰ Gary Becker, for improving the standard of living for people around the world, and genetic¹¹ researcher Francis Collins, for overseeing the mapping of the human genome. The presidential medal of freedom also went to C-Span founder¹² Brian Lamb, civil rights leader Benjamin Hooks and former U.S. Congressman¹³ Henry Hyde.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor bestowed¹⁴ by a president, recognizes contributions to the causes of peace and freedom, and to science, the arts and literature.

1 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

4 embody   

vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录

参考例句：

• The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
• Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。

5 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

6 tyrants   

专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a succession of tyrants. 这个国家接连遭受暴君的统治。
• The people suffered under foreign tyrants. 人民在异族暴君的统治下受苦受难。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

8 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

9 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

10 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

11 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

14 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。