VOA常速英语2008年-Rwandans See Bush Visit as Confirmation of Prog

By Thomas Rippe
Kigali
19 February 2008

Most Rwandans are proud that President Bush is visiting.  They see his visit as a confirmation¹ of the progress their country has made since the genocide of 1994 tore their country apart.  Thomas Rippe reports for VOA from Kigali.

American flags are flying side by side with Rwandan flags across Kigali to welcome President Bush as he stops here on his five-nation African tour.

Business manager Maggie Kenyana is excited about the visit and says it is a confirmation of the progress Rwanda has made in rebuilding the country after the disastrous² genocide of 1994.

"It is good for him to come here, especially after the genocide," she said.  "It is good for him to come and see how far Rwanda has gone after the genocide, because a lot has changed."

Kigali residents like leading Rwandan filmmaker Eric Kabera say the Bush visit is very important for Rwanda.

"It is a remarkable³ step to see Rwanda is recognized by a U.S. president, among, I do not know, 50 countries across Africa and he chose five and Rwanda is among them," he said.

Venuste Karambizi is the dean of the faculty⁴ of social sciences at Kigali Independent University and an expert in international relations.

"I see that President Bush has come to Rwanda not only because Rwanda has made a lot of progress, but also because America needs strong partners," he said.

Karambizi says that Rwanda's current stability makes it an ideal place for the United States to base its efforts to promote security in the African Great Lakes region.

He says the visit is politically important for Rwanda.  On February 7, a Spanish judge indicted⁵ 40 current and former members of the Rwandan military for crimes against humanity. 

Karambizi says the indictment⁶ was designed to discredit⁷ the Rwandan government.  The Bush visit is an important show of support.

"The other interest is the confirmation that there is democracy in Rwanda," he added.  "There is good governance and Rwanda needs that demonstration⁸."

For Rwandans the Bush visit is both a recognition of past success and an important step towards the future.

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

5 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

6 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

7 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

8 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。