VOA标准英语10月-Little Progress Seen by Zimbabweans a Month After

Exactly a month after Zimbabwe's power sharing agreement was signed, the signatories are still bickering¹ over Cabinet posts. Tendai Maphosa took to the streets of Harare for VOA to hear what the people think about the deal, which represented some hope for their country.
　

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrives at hotel in Harare on 15 Oct. 2008 for second day of talks, which are being mediated2 by former South African President Thabo Mbeki

Supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and opposition³ Movement for Democratic Change MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai were in high spirits outside the venue⁴ where it was sealed on September 15.

"It is positive as far as I am concerned, any type of agreement is a step forward for a new beginning, rebuilding the nation, putting the past behind us and working together," said one supporter.

A ruling ZANU-PF party supporter said he did not mind President Robert Mugabe ceding⁵ some of his power to Mr. Tsvangirai.

"I think he is giving up his power so that they can make a deal together so the country can prosper," he said.

But as the talks to form a government drag on and life gets harder by the day in Zimbabwe, people are beginning to feel that September 15 might have been a false dawn.

"I had hope when they agreed to meet and discuss issues but as for now, I no longer have any hope," said one woman.

"People are even more angry now, they are even thinking that maybe there should be elections so that they can elect a new government which may be able to deliver," said one man.
　

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) President Morgan Tsvangirai, Harare, 15 Oct. 2008

Despite their suffering, most of those VOA spoke⁶ to say Mr. Mugabe should not have unilaterally allocated⁷ all the key ministries⁸ to his party. They say Mr. Tsvangirai should stand his ground, especially on the heavily contested Ministry⁹ of Finance.

"Mugabe does not have international friendships. If he gets those ministries we are not going to get any change here in Zimbabwe, so I think that is a proper decision that Tsvangirai is making," said one woman.

Another woman said, "Finance has to go to MDC because ZANU has proved that they cannot control the money sector¹⁰. It is abuse, corruption¹¹ by ministers, and [Gideon] Gono as our [central bank] governor is the number one culprit."

While the parties have been blaming each other for the failure to agree on cabinet posts, this elderly Zimbabwean says it is the people around Mr. Mugabe who are sabotaging¹² the deal.

"I do not think the president has a problem," he said. "The problem is some of his colleagues who do not want to leave their ministries. These are the people who are hindering progress."

The people may be getting a bit pessimistic about the deal working out, but an opposition MDC official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity¹³ sounded cautiously optimistic. The government-controlled Herald¹⁴ daily newspaper also spoke of progress on the first day of talks to break the deadlock¹⁵ chaired by mediator¹⁶ Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president.

1 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。

3 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。

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 ceding   

v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was ceding line but more slowly all the time. 他正在放出钓索，然而越来越慢了。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• Settlement would require ceding some Egyptian territory. 解决办法将要求埃及让出一些领土。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

8 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 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。

12 sabotaging   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Smith fiercely denied any question of sabotaging the talks. 史密斯先生坚决拒绝任何企图阻挠谈话的提问。
• Failed in sabotaging APEC summit in Sydney of Australia. 澳大利亚悉尼APEC会议遭遇惨败。

13 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

14 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

15 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

16 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。