VOA常速英语2008年-President Sarkozy to Propose More French Troops

By Sonja Pace
London
26 March 2008

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on a two-day state visit to Britain and addressed a rare joint¹ session of parliament. Mr. Sarkozy hailed bilateral² relations, speaking of a new era of Franco-British brotherhood³ and said he would propose boosting France's military presence in Afghanistan at the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania next week. But, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London, the visit is being watched closely not just for the substance of the talks but, perhaps even more, for Mr. Sarkozy's behavior and style. 

Pomp, pageantry and symbolism mark the first day of this visit. President Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, were whisked off to Windsor, outside of London, where they were met by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.

They were driven in gold-gilded, horse-drawn carriages to Windsor Castle for a review of the honor guard and then lunch with Queen.

Yet, behind the display of pageantry and tradition also lay an important opportunity for Mr. Sarkozy - a chance to display a new, more serious presidential style, says French political analyst⁴ Dominique Moisi.

"This is the first state visit of the president with his new wife. At the moment, the president is very [much] criticized. Will he become more presidential? What does he have to do? - much less, not to move too much, just look quiet, distant, cold. You [the president] are the incarnation of France; you are the symbol of the Republic," said Moisi.

President Sarkozy has been the focus of severe criticism in France and of much amusement abroad for flouting⁵ convention - his divorce from his second wife and very public romance and quick third marriage to the Italian-born former model and pop singer Carla Bruni. He has promoted an image of being a man on the move, but photos of him in dark sunglasses and text messaging on his mobile phone even at official functions have proved embarrassing.

Mr. Sarkozy won last year's elections promising⁶ to reform the French economy and improve the standard of living, but instead his private life has made headlines, and his approval ratings have dropped sharply.

His state visit to Britain is widely seen as a chance to turn his image around.

But the visit also provides an opportunity for substantive⁷ talks, and Mr. Sarkozy has already said he wants to strengthen bilateral relations. Dominique Moisi, senior advisor⁸ to the French Institute for International Relations in Paris, tells VOA that key substantive issues are defense⁹ and security.

"Nothing in Europe can be done if the two key defense actors - France and Great Britain - are not closer to each other. And, France is moving closer to NATO, France is probably going to say in the coming days that she is increasing her military presence in Afghanistan," added Moisi. "Can we go further?"

Among other issues likely to be discussed are greater cooperation on immigration, development of nuclear energy and stabilizing¹⁰ world financial markets.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 flouting   

v.藐视，轻视( flout的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• By selling alcohol to minors,the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒，是商店故意犯罪法。 来自口语例句
• By selling alcohol to minor, the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒，是商店故意犯法。 来自互联网

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

7 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

8 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句