2007年VOA标准英语-Outgoing US Ambassador to Indonesia Hails Good

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
15 February 2007

The outgoing United States ambassador to Indonesia, Lynn Pascoe, hailed the good relations between the U.S. and Indonesia and the progress made during the last few years. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.

Lynn Pascoe (May 2006)

Outgoing United States ambassador to Indonesia, Lynn Pascoe, told reporters in a farewell news briefing that relations between Jakarta and Washington are strong and moving in the right direction.

He said, "I think in the U.S.-Indonesian side, there have been enormous strides made in the last couple of years."

"I think that whether you talk about the military relationship or whether you talk about our dealings with other parts of Indonesia, our efforts to cooperate with Indonesia on global issues… it's been really quite positive and moving in a good direction," he added.

Pascoe said Indonesia had made enormous strides in its counterterrorism efforts and he noted¹ Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's work to improve governance.

Indonesia, a secular², democratic nation with the world's largest Muslim population, has been hit by a series of terrorist attacks in recent years, blamed on the al-Qaida- inspired Southeast Asia terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Jakarta has pursued Muslim militants³, arresting more than 300 and sentencing several to death.

This helped make Indonesia a more important country for U.S. diplomacy⁴, as Washington saw the country as a key link in its War on Terror.

The Yudhoyono presidency⁵ has helped calm the rhetoric⁶ over fractious issues, such as resumed U.S. military aid to Indonesian armed forces tarnished⁷ by human rights allegations.

As Indonesia emerged from its years of political strife⁸ into a more stable era, so too did U.S.-Indonesian relations. Pascoe noted he has seen the links between the two countries grow.

The outgoing U.S. ambassador is to become head of the United Nation's department of political affairs.

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 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。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

8 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。