2007年VOA标准英语-Bhutan Conducts Mock Election

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
21 April 2007

The tiny, isolated¹ mountain kingdom of Bhutan has conducted a mock election in preparation for ending a century of absolute rule by the monarchy³, and turning the country into a parliamentary democracy next year. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi on the efforts by this deeply traditional and secluded⁴ country to enter the 21st century.

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A Bhutanese election official checks the citizenship card of a Bhutanese woman at a voting center during "dummy6" elections at Samdrup Jangkhar district in Bhutan, Apr 21 2007

It was a full-fledged dress rehearsal⁷ in which voters in towns and remote mountain villages headed to more than 800 polling stations to learn how to choose their own leaders. The dummy elections involved the works - fictional⁸ parties and imaginary manifestos, electronic voting machines, and observers from India and the United Nations.  

The practice drill is a two-stage process.  The two most successful parties in Saturday's mock round will compete in another round of practice voting on May 28.

Bhutan's chief election commissioner⁹, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, says the purpose of the rehearsal is simple - to ensure that everything works smoothly¹⁰ when real elections to choose Bhutan's first parliament take place in 2008.

"Through this, we would like to take the whole of Bhutan through an election drill so that when real elections come, people are fully¹¹ in [the] picture as to how to go about [it]. On the whole, [the] response is very good, people are very excited," he said.

The task of transforming Bhutan into a democracy began in 2001, when then-King Jigme Singye Wangchuk announced that the monarchy would step aside in favor of a parliamentary democracy.

A draft constitution has already been prepared. Election Commissioner Wangdi says painstaking¹² preparations have been made for the actual elections.    

"We had to draft a series of laws, then rules, regulations, guidelines, and also we had to conduct the nationwide voter education and training of electoral officers, and also put a system of election in place," he added.

People's responses to the vote in the secluded country have been mixed.  The former king is highly popular, and many saw no need for change. But some are excited and curious to see what democracy will bring. Still others have expressed cynicism, saying democracy has done little to improve conditions in neighboring South Asian nations.

Some are simply confused about what democracy involves - asking if they have to pay to vote, or if they would face punishment if they stayed away.

It has not been easy to recruit potential candidates. Only two political parties have been formed so far, despite appeals from the Election Commission.

The transition to democracy will be a giant leap for a country that has been among the world's last to modernize¹³. Bhutan is a predominately Buddhist¹⁴ nation located between India and Tibet.  It had no roads, telephones or currency until the 1960s.  Television and the Internet were introduced only in 1999. Most of the country's 700,000 people live in villages, and are still deeply traditional.    

However, the former king has been widely hailed as an enlightened monarch² who is in step with the times. He said he wanted to bring in democracy while there is peace. Last year, he abdicated¹⁵ in favor of his eldest¹⁶ son.

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

4 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

6 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

7 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

8 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

9 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

10 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

13 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

14 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

15 abdicated   

放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 退位，逊位

参考例句：

• He abdicated in favour of his son. 他把王位让给了儿子。
• King Edward Ⅷ abdicated in 1936 to marry a commoner. 国王爱德华八世于1936年退位与一个平民结婚。

16 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。