VOA标准英语2008年-Laura Bush Says US Will Do All It Can to Help B

By Paula Wolfson
White House
05 May 2008

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush says the United States will do all it can to help the victims of the cyclone¹ that hit Burma on Saturday. Mrs. Bush also said it is troubling that many Burmese learned about the cyclone only when foreign broadcasters like the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia sounded the alarm. But as VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, there are fears in the Bush administration that Burma's military leaders will not accept the aid.

First ladies normally do not appear at the White House podium to talk about events abroad.

But Mrs. Bush has made the cause of the Burmese people her own. And it somehow seemed fitting that she became the face of the administration's response to Cyclone Nargis, which Burmese officials say could claim as many as 10,000 lives.

"The U.S. has offered financial assistance through our embassy," said Mrs. Bush. "We will work with the UN and other international non-governmental organizations to provide water, sanitation², food and shelter."

For now, the money is coming out of the embassy's $250,000 emergency fund. The first lady says the United States wants to do more, but the next step is up to Burma's military leaders.

"The United States stands prepared to provide an assistance team and much needed supplies to Burma as soon as the Burmese government accepts our offer," said Laura Bush. "The government of Burma should accept this team quickly as well as other offers of international assistance."

She says this is an opportunity for the Burmese regime to show it does care about the welfare of its people.

She says the government's performance in the lead up to the storm shows Burma's leaders are inept³.

"I think in front of their own people and in front of the world, if they don't accept aid from the United States and from all the rest of the international community that wants to help the people of Burma that that is just another way the military regime looks so cut off and so unaware⁴ of what the real needs of their people are," she said.

Mrs. Bush says the Burmese government seems to value its own survival above all else. She says despite all the havoc⁵ created by the cyclone, the regime is going forward with a referendum scheduled for this Saturday on a new constitution drafted without input⁶ from opposition⁷ and minority groups.

"Burma's ruling generals have had their chance to implement⁸ the good government they promised to their people," said Mrs. Bush. "If it proceeds under current conditions, the constitutional referendum they have planned should not be seen as a step towards freedom, but rather as a confirmation⁹ of the unacceptable status quo."

Mrs. Bush stresses the United States has already placed sanctions on the Burmese government, and urges other countries to do the same. She makes clear Washington will keep the pressure on, noting President Bush will sign legislation Tuesday setting the stage for Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi to be presented with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian¹⁰ honor bestowed¹¹ by the U.S. Congress.

1 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

2 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。

3 inept   

adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的

参考例句：

• Whan an inept remark to make on such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，怎么说这样不恰当的话。
• He's quite inept at tennis.他打网球太笨。

4 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 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。

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。