VOA标准英语2009年-Calls Rise for Resignation of South Africa

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
21 September 2009

 
Caster Semenya (File photo)
South Africa's top athletics¹ official is in danger of losing his job.  The government's sports ministry² and major political parties have called for him to be removed for lying about controversial gender³ tests on world champion runner Caster Semenya. 

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has condemned⁴ the way the governing Athletics South Africa handled the case of runner Caster Semenya.  International media reports raised questions about Semenya's sexual characteristics after she won the women's 800-meter championship last month in Berlin.

ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe Sunday, said ASA head Leonard Chuene should be punished.

"We think it was disgusting.  The new facts that come to the fore⁵ now reflect that ASA did not handle that matter with the necessary honesty and transparency," Mantashe said.  "And therefore our view is that the ASA should censure⁶ [punish] the officials who were involved in that matter."

South Africa's Deputy-Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen called for the Athletics South Africa to dismiss Chuene after he admitted that he had lied when he denied that gender tests had been performed on Semenya in South Africa before she traveled to Berlin.

"I believed at that time that my consistent denial would help to protect her.  That is what I believed," Chuene said.  "I have, however, realized that it was an error of judgment⁷ and that I could have been forthcoming with this information."

Chuene also admitted that he had ignored a request from the ASA team doctor to withdraw Semenya from the championships because the tests needed to be kept confidential⁸.  But he refused to resign.

South Africans were angered when an Australian newspaper published reports based on allegedly leaked test results that showed the star athlete to have both female and male characteristics.

The International Association of Athletics Federations⁹ refused to confirm or deny the reports, saying the results would be announced next month.

South Africa's major opposition¹⁰ parties, including Democratic Alliance Spokesman Donald Lee, called for Chuene to resign.

"He did not protect our interest there and the interest of this young girl," Lee said.  "He destroyed her life totally, but he did not care about that either."

Similar cases of what is called inter-sexuality have occurred previously¹¹ in the world of athletics.  But the South African public has been particularly angered over the breach¹² of confidentiality¹³ in this case and the pain it has caused the 18-year-old runner and her family, which lives in a small village in northeastern Limpopo Province.

Semenya was due to run in a cross-country race last week, but withdrew.  Her coach said she was not feeling well. 

1 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

2 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。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

6 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

9 federations   

n.联邦( federation的名词复数 )；同盟；联盟；联合会

参考例句：

• These problems are women's special problems and special work of women's federations. 这样的问题，就是妇女的特殊问题，就是妇联的特殊工作。 来自互联网
• The Bridge Federate is a feasible solution to achieve multi-federations interconnection. 基于桥接成员实现多联邦互连是目前较为通用和可行的方法。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

12 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

13 confidentiality   

n.秘而不宣，保密

参考例句：

• They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
• Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。