VOA标准英语2009年-Conflicting Statements Show Uneasy Start for Zi

The funeral for Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, Susan, who died in a car accident, is to be held Wednesday, one month to the day after the country inaugurated its power-sharing government.
　
Morgan Tsvangirai (l) takes the oath of prime minister, in front of President Robert Mugabe (r) at the State House in Harare, 11 Feb. 2009

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have pledged to work together in the new unity¹ government in order to ease Zimbabwe's crisis. But it is clear from their recent public statements the two leaders still disagree on some major issues.

Mr. Tsvangirai, in his first address to parliament last week, called for Western governments to lift sanctions they imposed because of authoritarianism² and human-rights violations³ by the Mugabe government.

"I therefore want to urge the international community to recognize our efforts and note the progress that we made in this regard, and to match our progress by moving towards the removal of any restrictive measures," Mr. Tsvangirai said.

This represented a departure for the new prime minister who is backed by many Western governments.
　
Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa (2008 file photo)

One of Mr. Mugabe's strongest supporters, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, told delegates to the U.N. Human Rights Council that certain powerful governments unfairly condemn⁴ Zimbabwe's human-rights record, while overlooking the faults of their friends and themselves.

"We are not saying be silent if you see us not promoting and respecting and protecting human rights," Chinamasa said. "We are only saying we need to hear you loud and clear on all (countries), without favor in respect of human-rights violations."

But Mr. Tsvangirai told parliament that abuses in his country must stop and individual freedoms must be respected.

"Our citizens have the right to express their views, to ask their views," Mr. Tsvangirai said. "Therefore the days of police wantonly and violently breaking up peaceful demonstrations⁵ and gatherings⁶ and needlessly imprisoning⁷ innocent Zimbabweans must come to an end."

And he delivered a warning to officials in charge of security.

"Such activities could bring the threat of prosecution⁸ not only on those arresting or interfering⁹ with such activities, but also on those that order such interference and arrest," Mr. Tsvangirai said.

Mr. Tsvangirai also criticized policies of the Mugabe government that have led to the seizure¹⁰ of 4,000 commercial farms owned by whites. The farm seizures¹¹ are blamed for food shortages and the dependence¹² of one-half of the population on humanitarian¹³ food aid.

"We must halt the wanton disruption of the production on farm activities that are continuing as I speak," Mr. Tsvangirai said. "Already our food production for the coming season is going to be less than last year's abysmal¹⁴ season. Those that believe that they can move onto a viable¹⁵ farmland and steal the crops that are about to be harvested are wrong."

Nevertheless, the farm occupations continue, and Mr. Mugabe, speaking at a rally, indicated they would not stop.

"The farmers who own these farms, which now have been designated and have been offered to new land owners in accordance with our land acquisition law, must respect that law," Mr. Mugabe said. "And they must vacate those farms. They must vacate those farms."

The chairman of the South Africa-based Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition¹⁶, MacDonald Lewanika, says contradictory¹⁷ statements are to be expected from a government of this kind.

"It was clear from the onset¹⁸ that this would be a very rocky process," Lewanika said. "It would be fraught¹⁹ with a lot of confusing situation and signals being sent from government because of the nature of the constituents²⁰ of that particular government. A government that is supposed to be run on the basis of consensus²¹ will always run into challenges around suppositions coming out which are not necessarily consensus positions."

Nevertheless, the Zimbabwean leaders do agree on many issues, especially the need to control a cholera²² epidemic²³ that has killed 4,000 people and infected nearly 90,000.

They agree that urgent measures are also needed to revive education, and water and sanitation²⁴ services that have badly deteriorated²⁵ in recent years.

And they agree that they must revive the Zimbabwe economy, which is staggering under declining productivity, hyper-inflation, 80 percent unemployment and food shortages.

Mr. Tsvangirai's group blames the head of the central bank Gideon Gono for much of the economic collapse²⁶. It wants him replaced along with other senior officials who were appointed without their say. But Mr. Mugabe has said that the recent re-appointment of these close allies will not be reversed.

1 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。

2 authoritarianism   

权力主义，独裁主义

参考例句：

• Modern authoritarianism is a vestige of traditional personal rule. 现代独裁主义则是传统的个人统治的残余。
• In its latter days it was a byword for authoritarianism, incompetence, and corruption. 在后期，它是独裁、无能和腐化的代号。

3 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

4 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

7 imprisoning   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Afwerki may disgust his compatriots by torturing and imprisoning his critics. Afwerki总统拷打和监禁他的反对者已经使的国人生厌。 来自互联网
• Proud and intelligent, it takes great pleasure and imprisoning enemies through psionic exploitation. 它骄傲并狡猾，非常喜欢囚禁敌人并剥夺他们的智力。 来自互联网

8 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

9 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

10 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

11 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

12 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

13 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

14 abysmal   

adj.无底的，深不可测的，极深的；糟透的，极坏的；完全的

参考例句：

• The film was so abysmal that I fell asleep.电影太糟糕，看得我睡着了。
• There is a historic explanation for the abysmal state of Chinese cuisine in the United States.中餐在美国的糟糕状态可以从历史上找原因。

15 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

16 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

17 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

18 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

19 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

20 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

22 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。

23 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。

24 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。

25 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

26 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。