VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Presses for More Funds to Africa

By Scott Stearns
White House
26 February 2008

President Bush is pressing U.S. lawmakers to double funds for fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Mr. Bush says his trip to Africa last week convinced him that American aid is making a difference.

President Bush says the trip to Africa was the most exhilarating of his presidency¹, because America is helping² a new generation of African leaders change the continent.

"They are reformers who are determined³ to steer⁴ their nations toward freedom and justice, prosperity and peace," he said.

Mr. Bush reviewed the highlights of his trip with a slide show at an African-American foundation committed to self-help, social responsibility, economic empowerment, and human rights on the continent.

The president told the Leon Sullivan Foundation that Americans should feel proud of the work they are doing to encourage what he says is a new spirit of African confidence, determination, and strength.

"This is a spirit worthy⁵ of America's support," said President Bush. "It is more powerful than any partisan⁶ quarrels here in our nation's capital. And having given our word, we must not turn back now. Congress needs to make America's commitment clear by fully⁷ and promptly⁸ funding our development programs. And presidential candidates in both parties should make clear that engagement with Africa will be an enduring priority of the United States."

The president called for Congress to double U.S. funds to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa to $30 billion during the next five years. He also wants full funding for performance-based development grants.

"America is on a mission of mercy," said Mr. Bush. "We are treating African leaders as equal partners. We expect them to produce measurable results. We expect them to fight corruption⁹ and invest in the health and education of their people and pursue market-based economic policies."

Mr. Bush said that mission serves America's security interests because people who live in chaos¹⁰ and despair are more likely to fall under the sway of violent ideologies¹¹. He said it also serves America's moral interests because the power to save lives comes with the obligation to use it.

While U.S. programs in Africa rarely make the news at home, the president stressed going to Africa and seeing the results left no doubt in his mind that the mission is succeeding.

"You see it when you hold a baby who would have died of malaria¹² without America's support," he said. "You see it when you look into the eyes of an AIDS patient who has been brought back to life. You see it in the quiet pride of a child going to school for the first time. And you see that turning away from this life-changing work would be a cause for shame."

The president and Mrs. Bush visited Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia last week.

1 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

5 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

6 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

9 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

10 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

11 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句

12 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。