VOA常速英语2008年-Bush, Tanzanian's Kikwete Sign $698 Million Gra

By Scott Stearns
Dar es Salaam
17 February 2008

President Bush and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete have signed a nearly $700-million grant to improve Tanzanian roads, energy, and water. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story from Tanzania.

This is the largest-ever grant from the Bush Administration's Millennium¹ Challenge Corporation, which ties assistance to good governance, rule of law, and free-market economics.

President Bush says it is money well spent.

"I will just put it bluntly. You know, America does not want to spend money on people who steal the money from the people. We like dealing² with honest people and compassionate³ people. We want our money to go to help the human condition and to lift human lives," he said.

At a signing ceremony on the lawn of Dar es Salaam's State House, President Kikwete says the money will help reduce poverty and stimulate⁴ economic growth by improving the nation's energy supply and transportation network.

"This funding will go a long way to addressing some of our critical infrastructure⁵ challenges which have for a long time been an obstacle to our growth and development," said President Kikwete.

The five-year, $698-million grant will rehabilitate⁶ rural roads and improve the airport on Mafia Island to reduce travel times and transportation costs.

"The investment in roads will have a substantial impact on people in providing opportunities for farmers to get their goods to market but also to give the average Tanzanian better opportunities to get to health centers and to get to schools," said Darius Mans, who is the Millennium Challenge Corporation's vice⁷ president for compact implementation⁸.

The grant funds new power generation with a hydropower plant on the Malagarasi River and a new under water transmission cable to the largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago.

It will also expand the capacity of Tanzania's main water treatment plant and boost distribution, which Mans says will improve health and education.

"Our investment in water supply and sanitation⁹, for example, will reduce the prevalence of water-borne diseases,' said Mans. "They also will lead to a substantial reduction in the amount of time that women and young girls spend on fetching water so that they can invest in girls' education and economic opportunities."

In addition to making U.S. assistance dependent on good governance, the MCC also requires recipient¹⁰ countries to identify their own needs and demonstrate results.

Joyce Cacho is the director of agrobusiness initiatives at the U.S. Corporate¹¹ Council on Africa, a private research group promoting investment on the continent. She says it is a fundamental shift in U.S. aid.

"It ensures that U.S. development assistance is in line with what countries want. And that is a point of agreement that used to have to be negotiated," said Cacho. "As a start-off point, that means more energy both from the U.S. side and the recipient country's side can be put to actually doing something."

The Tanzanian compact brings MCC's total commitment in Africa to $3.8 billion with programs in Benin, Cape¹² Verde, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, and Mozambique.

 

1 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

4 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 rehabilitate   

vt.改造(罪犯)，修复；vi.复兴，(罪犯)经受改造

参考例句：

• There was no money to rehabilitate the tower.没有资金修复那座塔。
• He used exercise programmes to rehabilitate the patients.他采用体育锻炼疗法使患者恢复健康。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

9 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

10 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。