VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's Mugabe Appoints Temporary Ministers

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has appointed eight ministers to head key portfolios¹ in an acting² capacity. The appointments were made as Movement for Democratic Change leaders meet in Johannesburg.
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Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (file photo)

President Robert Mugabe appointed the eight ministers to replace aides who lost their parliament seats in 2008 elections.

Zimbabwe has been without a government since March 28, the day before elections in which the Movement for Democratic Change took a majority of Parliament seats from the ZANU-PF.

Mr. Mugabe says he is waiting for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to join the government as prime minister before a permanent Cabinet is named. But the state-controlled Herald³ newspaper reports Mr. Mugabe is expected to form an "inclusive government" when he returns from vacation at the end of the month.
　

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai addresses reporters during press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, 10 Nov 2008

A deal to form a unity⁴ government was signed by Mr. Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai last September, but implementing⁵ the agreement has stalled over a dispute about allocating⁶ Cabinet posts.

The MDC argues it would be a junior party in the government because it did not win any of the three security ministries⁷ in negotiations⁸ facilitated last year by the Southern Africa Development Community.

MDC executives began a three-day meeting Tuesday in Johannesburg. Senior MDC members in Harare say the meeting will concentrate on whether the party should join the unity government and what its plan of action would be should it stay out.

Some believe that by staying out the MDC will become irrelevant⁹ and will have to wait five years for the next elections. Others say if the MDC joins the government it will have no powers to stop arbitrary abductions, arrests or other abuses.

A SADC summit on the Zimbabwe crisis may take place next week, according to South African press reports.

Meanwhile, the United Nations and Zimbabwe's Health Ministry¹⁰ say they fear the country's cholera¹¹ epidemic¹² will escalate¹³ as the rainy season enters its heaviest period.

U.N. health officials say more than 1,000 new cholera cases were recorded Tuesday, following a week in which the epidemic had showed signs of slowing. Western aid and foreign doctors have provided drugs, clean water and treatment but nearly 1,800 people have died of cholera.

The rapid spread of the waterborne disease is blamed on the collapse of Zimbabwe's health and sanitation¹⁵ infrastructure¹⁶, in an economy destroyed by high inflation and low production in the agricultural sector¹⁷.

Nearly half Zimbabwe's population receives emergency food aid, which the United Nations says is running out. Zimbabwe agriculture expert, Renson Gasela said in a statement this week the annual maize¹⁸ crop will produce no more than a quarter of the country's needs for the next year.

In another sign of government troubles, Education Secretary Stephen Mahere said Tuesday that schools would open two weeks late because end of year examinations have not yet been marked.

Tens of thousands of teachers have left their jobs because of poor pay and working conditions, and last year nearly four million school children only had 23 consecutive¹⁹ days of education.

1 portfolios   

n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹

参考例句：

• Price risk arises in non-trading portfolios, as well as in trading portfolios. 价格风险中出现的非贸易投资，以及在贸易投资组合。 来自互联网
• How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? 我们怎样育肥我们的投资结构和维持财政健康呢？ 来自互联网

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

6 allocating   

分配，分派( allocate的现在分词 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• Administrative practice generally follows the judicial model in allocating burdens of proof. 在分配举证责任方面，行政实践通常遵循司法模式。
• A cyclical multiplexing technique, allocating resources in fixed-time slices. 以固定的时间片分配资源的循环复用技术。

7 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

10 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。

11 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

12 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

13 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

14 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

15 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。

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

17 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

18 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

19 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。