voa标准英语2008年-Europe Welcomes Obama Victory

There has been a warm welcome from around the globe for the election victory of Barack Obama - words of congratulations from European leaders and expressions of hope for a new era of cooperation. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

Barack Obama's historic election victory made every major headline around the globe and topped every newscast.
　

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he looks forward to working with Mr. Obama.

"I know that he is a true friend of Britain and I know that the values we share in common and the policies on which we can work together will enable us as two countries to come through these difficult economic times," Brown said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Mr. Obama's election raises hopes in France, in Europe and the rest of the world.

German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel said she anticipates closer cooperation between the US and Europe under an Obama administration. The European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana also welcomed the news and Mr. Obama's emphasis on change.

"Change is what we need in the world today," she said. "Many problems we have on the table and I very much hope that we will be able to do it together, to find a solution to them together."

There were warm words too on the streets of London. One person said, "I am excited, I think it is a good thing. I think the last eight years have been pretty difficult for the West and I am really excited that Obama might bring some new changes."

"I think it is great," said another. "I think it is a real historical thing to happen and I think it is good because I think he is going to be different." And a third said, "Very happy about Barrack Obama. I think he is a vote for humanity and for the world and I think he brings John F. Kennedy type hope to the world."

The warm reception comes as no surprise in Europe where Mr. Obama is immensely popular.

International affairs specialist Charlie Beckett of the London School of Economics said Europeans know that any American president will make decisions based on American interests, but he said they are hoping a president Obama will listen to others around the world.

"I think Obama has already signaled with that very risky² trip to Europe and Berlin in the middle of the campaign that he at least wants to make gestures about including the rest of the world in what America is thinking and doing and I think [that] in itself is very important. That is what politics is about. It is about building relationships," Beckett said.

But after all the euphoria of a stunning³ election victory, a host of problems still faces the incoming Obama administration - the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world financial crisis, global warming, the threat of terrorism, Iran's nuclear ambitions and a resurgent Russia that views the United States as a potential threat.

There was no immediate⁴ warm welcome from Moscow.
　

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

Delivering his state of the nation speech in the Kremlin, President Dmitri Medvedev instead blamed U.S. policy for Russia's brief conflict with neighboring Georgia in August. And, he threatened to station new missiles near the border with Poland - in response to Washington's plans to deploy⁵ an anti-missile defense⁶ system in parts of Eastern Europe.

Mr. Medvedev made only an indirect reference to the US election.

He said Russia is not inherently anti-American and he said he hopes the new U.S. administration will choose, what he called, a full-fledged relationship between the two countries.

1 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。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 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。