2007年VOA标准英语-APEC Closes With Pledge to Advance Global Trade

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Sydney, Australia
09 September 2007

APEC leaders stand behind Australian PM John Howard as he delivers APEC final declaration at the close of their weekend summit in Sydney, Australia, 09 Sep 2007

The 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum¹ ended their annual two-day summit in Australia with calls to bring to a quick resolution stalled global trade talks. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins is in Sydney and brings us this report.

Leaders from the 21 economies that make up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group pledged Sunday on the final day of their two-day summit to jump-start the stalled World Trade Organization Doha Round of talks. Their closing statement said there was an "urgent need" for progress.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, host of this year's summit, says member economies pledged to bring determination and flexibility² to the bargaining table.

"We've agreed on a leader's declaration and a statement of very strong support for the Doha Round and an urgent request to all countries involved in the Doha process to renew their efforts to achieve an outcome, emphasizing that agriculture and industrial products are the two priority areas," Mr. Howard said.

The talks are stalled over disputes in how to cut trade barriers in farm goods, industrial products and services.

APEC members account for about half of the world's trade.

Mr. Howard said APEC leaders agreed to explore the ways to further free trade and business in the Asia Pacific region.

"The key elements of the leaders' declaration are endorsement⁴ of a plan to strengthen regional economic integration⁵, including agreement to continue to examine a free trade area of the Asia Pacific, agreement to a series of measures to improve the business environment, and also a series of measures to deal with issues of human security, including terrorism, pandemics, contaminated food, energy security, and natural disasters," Mr. Howard said.

But Mr. Howard insisted the key outcome of the summit was the Sydney Declaration on climate change.

"It has been an extremely successful meeting and by far the most important statement to come out of it was the Sydney declaration on climate change which embraced the need to achieve aspirational⁶ goals for the entire world in relation to greenhouse has emission⁷ and also endorse³ specific goal regarding energy intensity⁸ and forest cover for the aggregate⁹ of the APEC countries," Mr. Howard said.

The declaration calls on APEC members to set voluntary, non-binding targets to cut greenhouse emissions¹⁰, thought to be a major contributor to global warming.

Environmentalists say the declaration does not go far enough and had called on APEC for firm reduction targets rather than non-binding goals.

Mr. Howard's hopes that his hosting of the summit would bolster¹¹ his re-election chances might have been dampened by the praise showered on his opposition¹² Labor¹³ Party competitor Kevin Rudd for speaking fluent Chinese with Chinese Premier¹⁴ Hu Jintao.

An election for prime minister must be called before the end of the year.

Mr. Howard gained endorsements¹⁵ from leaders such as U.S. President George Bush, but most Australians are critical of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and many resented the heavy security imposed on Sydney for this leaders' summit.

1 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

4 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

5 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

6 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

7 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

8 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

9 aggregate   

adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合

参考例句：

• The football team had a low goal aggregate last season.这支足球队上个赛季的进球总数很少。
• The money collected will aggregate a thousand dollars.进帐总额将达一千美元。

10 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。

11 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

12 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。

13 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

14 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

15 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网