VOA常速英语2008年-Liberians Eager for Bush Visit

By Nico Colombant
Monrovia
20 February 2008

Liberians in the war-damaged capital Monrovia are eagerly awaiting President Bush's daytime visit on Thursday, at the end of his five nation African tour. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from the Liberian capital.

Students at the University of Liberia are warming up their vocal¹ chords for Mr. Bush's visit, which will include a 40-minute stop to look at a U.S.-funded teacher training project.

University president Al-Hassan Conteh says he will be happy to focus on education with Mr. Bush.

"The fact that I will be shaking President Bush's hand and introducing him to this panel that he is going to talk about on education, it is very, very, important because education is our problem," said Al-Hassan Conteh. "We are getting away from that period where we have had this negative publicity² as a result of the war. We now have a president who is internationally respected. I am talking about Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and we are piggy backing on that respectability to showcase higher education and make sure that we move away our students from a war mindset to a mindset of freedom and justice."

Over the past few years, registration³ at the university has been increasing, leaving the main campus overcrowded with about 15,000 students in an area meant for 3,000.

Musicians also warmed up in front of the former executive grounds in downtown Monrovia, which are delapidated and have not been used since the early 1970s. The current executive building is also out of use because of a fire in the president's office in July 2006.

Instead, Liberian President Sirleaf will meet with Mr. Bush at the Foreign Affairs Ministry⁴.

A U.S-educated pastor⁵, G. Wesseh Bestman, says he has been on a prayer team for Mr. Bush.

"I am so grateful that he will have a chance to just step here," said Bestman. "I have a little regret that will not be able to spend a night, because I know that we do not have anywhere for him. But it is so good, emotions are beyond description."

In the busy Nancy B. Doe Jogbeh Town Market, recently renovated⁶ by Liberia's government, Lusu Boakai is selling homemade spices. She is also overjoyed by Mr. Bush's visit.

"First of all, I tell him, God thank you," said Lusu Boakai. "Please help our government. War made [our country] to go bad and behind. Please help our government, our president to come up, because one hand, it cannot make it. The American people are part of Liberia, as we used to see it. But since the war came, we came behind. I can tell him please, help our government. We depend on you, please, that is what I can say."

The Liberians interviewed for this report said they have always felt close to the United States and want more U.S involvement rather than less.

The country's long running civil unrest ended in 2003 when then-president Charles Taylor fled into exile.

Liberia was created on territory carved out by the American Colonization⁷ Society during the first half of the 1800s for freed American slaves, who imposed on native populations a system of forced labor⁸ until 1931.

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

4 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。

5 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

6 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

7 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。