2007年VOA标准英语-Mauritanians Express Expectations For New Gover

By Kari Barber
Dakar
30 March 2007

Mauritania's constitutional council has handed down official results confirming Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi as the winner of Sunday's presidential runoff, with nearly 53 percent of the vote. Kari Barber reports from Dakar that with the success of the recent elections many Mauritanians are hoping the new government will continue to lead the nation on the path toward democracy.

Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi casts his vote

Mr. Abdallahi is to assume power in less than three weeks, taking over from the military junta¹ that overthrew² longtime President Maaouiya Ould Taya in a 2005 coup³. Many Mauritanians are eager for a government that can unify⁴ the country and move it forward.

Mbaye Sylla, a factory worker in the capital Nouakchott, says he has been happy with the military rule and he would like President-elect Abdallahi to continue the work the junta started.

Sylla says he hopes the president-elect will work toward political, social and other reforms as well as fight poverty and corruption⁵.

Mauritanian teacher Fara Ba says he hopes Mr. Abdallahi will build solidarity⁶ in the ethnically⁷ and racially diverse nation.

In campaign speeches Mr. Abdallahi vowed⁸ to fight slavery, which many say persists despite laws against it, and enable refugees to return to Mauritania.

Ba also says he wants the government to include members of the opposition⁹.

Ba says the government should be open to everybody, including the opposition, because, he says, the country is at a delicate point in its formation as a democracy.

An editor at the publication Jane's Country Risk, David Hartwell, says Mr. Abdallhi's government is likely to be a broad-based coalition¹⁰, but unlikely to include opposition parties.

Hartwell says what Mr. Abdallahi and the new government will be seeking once they enter office is more international respect.

"What Mauritania would like to do is to raise its profile a lot more and to not be seen as sort of a recipient¹¹ state but rather a country that is able to stand on its own two feet," he said.

Hartwell says it is uncertain how the transfer of leadership from military to civilian¹² rule will take place.

"It seems they will just essentially¹³ hand over power to President Abdallahi. It could literally¹⁴ be as straightforward¹⁵ as that. There really is not precedent¹⁶ for this in Mauritania," he said.

Mr. Abdallahi, an economist¹⁷, is scheduled to be sworn into office on April 19.

1 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

2 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

3 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

4 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

7 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 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。

12 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。

13 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

14 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

15 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

16 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

17 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。