2007年VOA标准英语-Bush to Visit Colombia Amid Tight Security

By Paula Wolfson
Montevideo, Uruguay
11 March 2007

President Bush travels to Bogota Saturday amid extremely tight security in the Colombian capital. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he is going to show his support for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

President Bush, right, accompanied by first lady Laura Bush, waves prior to boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland

Colombia is the biggest U.S aid recipient¹ in Latin America.

Most of the money - an estimated $4 billion since 2000 - has gone to fund Plan Colombia, which helps fight the largely drug-financed Colombian insurgency².

President Uribe says the effort is working, and stresses the government is making gains. But a scandal has erupted that has prompted many majority Democrats³ in the US congress to question pouring so much money into a country that remains⁴ the world's largest producer of cocaine⁵.

The scandal links several of Mr. Uribe's allies to paramilitary commanders accused of atrocities⁶ before they struck a peace deal with the government. The Uribe adminstration says the ties were discovered during an official probe, and those guilty are being punished.

Before embarking⁷ on his Latin American tour, President Bush told Colombian television that President Uribe is handling the issue well, that he is a strong leader, and retains the confidence of the United States.

Cynthia Arnson of Washington's Wilson Center, the author of several books on Colombia, says President Uribe is undoubtedly⁸ the Bush administration's closest ally in Latin America. "But President Bush has this visit with President Uribe when there is a very large political cloud hanging over his head and I think that both presidents will try to manage the spin (control the message) to try to keep the spotlight⁹ away from the scandal having to do with paramilitary influence in the congress and the security services," he said.

In addition to his meeting with the Colombian leader, President Bush will take part in events designed to show the US commitment goes beyond counter-narcotics.

While in Bogata, he will meet with a group of Afro-Colombians who have taken part in U.S. run education programs. He will also get a briefing on efforts to get farmers to grow alternative crops.

About 20,000 police will be involved in providing security for the president's visit, which will last less than seven hours. He travels to Colombia from Uruguay, where he held talks with President Tabare Vazquez that focused largely on trade.

1 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

2 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

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 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

8 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

9 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。