2007年VOA标准英语-East Timor Prepares for Presidential Run-Off Vo

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Dili, East Timor
07 May 2007

A representative from the U.N. mission in East Timor said everything is nearly ready for Wednesday's presidential election run-off. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from East Timor's capital, Dili.

ballot1 boxes prepared for Wednesday's election in Dili, 07 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070604/1341510.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

UN employee looks at ballot boxes prepared for Wednesday's election in Dili, 07 May 2007

The U.N. Mission in Timor Leste, known as UNMIT, said the distribution of sensitive polling materials across the country's 13 districts required helicopters, trucks, and porters on horseback.

UNMIT's Deputy Special Representative for Electoral Support, Finn Reske-Nielsen, says materials will be delivered to all of the country's more than 700 polling stations in time for Wednesday's vote.

"The distribution of polling materials started Friday and is now continuing so that everything would be in place for the polling stations to open at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday," Reske-Nielsen said.

This week's elections are seen as a key step to restoring peace and stability in this tiny nation, which has been beset² by political turmoil³ during the last year.

The firing of nearly half the army a year ago plunged⁴ the country into violence and anarchy⁵.

Rival security forces fought each other and the violence soon spiraled out of control, with gangs ruling the streets and around two-thirds of the residents of Dili fleeing into makeshift refugee camps where tens of thousands still remain.

Order was only restored after the government requested an international peacekeeping force, which still remains⁶.

Last month, eight candidates ran for the mostly ceremonial post of president. The top two contenders were the current prime minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta and the former resistance fighter and leader of the country's ruling Fretilin party, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres. They face each other in Wednesday's runoff vote.

Last month's elections were hailed as generally free and fair, and UNMIT's Reske-Nielsen says it is hoped this week's vote will be the same.

"It is our desire that the second round of the presidential elections would also be free and fair and all of our efforts have been directed at supporting the government in this regard," Reske-Nielsen said.

More than 270 international election observers will join about two-thousand local observers to oversee⁷ Wednesday's polls.

East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia's brutal⁸ rule in 1999. It finally gained full independence in 2002 after several years of U.N. stewardship⁹.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

6 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。

7 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。