2007年VOA标准英语-Protests Increase as Informal G8 Talks Begin

By Sonja Pace
Heiligendamm, Germany
06 June 2007

German police used water cannons¹ to disperse² protesters around the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, where leaders of the G8 group of major industrial nations began informal discussions Wednesday ahead of their formal summit opening on Thursday. VOA's Sonja Pace is near the conference site and has this report.

activists3 gather on meadow in Bollhagen next to G8 venue4 of Heiligendamm, 06 Jun 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070609/0828200.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Anti-globalization activists gather on meadow in Bollhagen next to G8 venue of Heiligendamm, 06 Jun 2007

Protest organizers spread the word of anti-G8 activities for the day - telling activists to fan out.

According to German police, thousands of them did just that - blocking roads leading from the airport in the nearby city of Rostock toward the summit site of Heiligendamm on the coast.

Nearly 10,000 protestors swarmed⁵ toward the 12-kilometer-long security fence set up by police to cordon⁶ off the summit area. Some demonstrators bombarded the police with stones - police responded with water cannons to drive them back.

Despite the protests, heads of state and government arrived throughout the day, holding a series of informal meetings at Heiligendamm ahead of Thursday's official summit opening.

Summit host, German Chancellor⁷ Angela Merkel, met with U.S. President George Bush over lunch. Afterward⁸, Mrs. Merkel said she hoped the summit would send a strong signal on important commitments.

Mrs. Merkel spoke⁹ specifically about climate change and the alleviation¹⁰ of poverty in Africa as main themes at this summit.

She said she and Mr. Bush had agreed in many areas, while work remained to be done in others.

Mrs. Merkel has made reining¹¹ in global warming a cornerstone of her leadership of the G8. She would like to reach agreement on benchmark caps to greenhouse gas emissions¹², which cause global warming.

Mr. Bush does not want to commit to mandatory¹³ benchmarks and instead wants to work toward an agreement that will be in place when the current international climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol¹⁴, expires in 2012.

"I … come with a strong desire to work with you on a post-Kyoto agreement about how we can achieve major objectives - one of course is the reduction of greenhouse gases, another is to become more energy independent," he said.

The United States did not sign the Kyoto Protocol, and Mr. Bush has now proposed his own plan to curb¹⁵ global warming. He wants to get the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases to negotiate a reduction strategy by the end of next year. This would include emerging economies such as India and China.

Mr. Bush spoke of the need to further help Africa.

"I come with a deep desire to make sure that those suffering from HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa know that they'll get help from the G8," he said. "I come with a deep desire to work with people around the table to reduce malaria¹⁶ on the continent of Africa and feed the hungry."

While at the summit, Mr. Bush will also be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin - at a time of heightened tensions between United States and Russia over the U.S. proposal to build a missile defense¹⁷ system in Europe.

1 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

6 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

7 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

8 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 alleviation   

n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物

参考例句：

• These were the circumstances and the hopes which gradually brought alleviation to Sir Thomas's pain. 这些情况及其希望逐渐缓解了托马斯爵士的痛苦。
• The cost reduction achieved in this way will benefit patients and the society in burden alleviation. 集中招标采购降低的采购成本要让利于患者，减轻社会负担。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

11 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。

12 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

13 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

14 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

15 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

16 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

17 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。