VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Addresses National Prayer Breakfast

By Paula Wolfson
White House
07 February 2008

President Bush joined with foreign dignitaries, business leaders, and officials from throughout the U.S. government early Thursday for the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.   VOA's White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports.

This was not an event for pronouncements of policy.  Instead, it was a time for quiet prayer.

"We have a lot of distinguished¹ guests here today - members of Congress, military leaders, captains of industry.  Yet at this annual gathering², we are reminded of an eternal truth:  when we lift our hearts to God, we are all equal in his sight," the president said.

In his remarks to the event, President Bush reflected on the importance faith plays at all levels of life in the United States. 

"It is fitting that we gather in prayer because we recognize a prayerful nation is a stronger nation," he said.

Every U.S. president since Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s has attended the annual prayer breakfast. Although it is billed as a non-denominational event hosted by members of Congress, it is organized by an evangelical Christian³ group called The Fellowship Foundation.

Conservative evangelical Christians⁴ are a powerful political force in the United States, and are part of President Bush's base of political support.   But this year's prayer breakfast was bipartisan and stayed clear of election politics.   None of the major candidates for president addressed the gathering.   Instead, the major speech of the morning was delivered by Ward⁵ Brehm, a businessman who developed an interest in Africa through his church and now heads a government agency called the U.S. African Development Foundation, which helps small businesses in Africa. 

Brehm talked about his impressions of the continent, and how he became aware through his work in Africa that all peoples - rich and poor - share one human spirit.

"I will forever be indebted to Africa.  Africa awakened⁶ me when I didn't even know I was asleep," he said.

Approximately 4,000 guests attended this year's National Prayer Breakfast, including representatives of about 150 countries.  Among them:  the prime ministers of Bosnia and Samoa, and the presidents of Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras and Micronesia.

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》