VOA标准英语2010年-Newly Crowned Miss USA Has Family Root

Rana Fakih, left, the sister of Miss USA Rima Fakih, talks on the phone as her daughter looks on, in front of her grandparents house in the southern village of Srifa, near the port-city of Tyre, Lebanon, 17 May 2010

The new Miss USA, Rima Fakih, has family roots in a Shi'ite town in south Lebanon.   Despite some of the controversy¹ in the wake of her selection, many Lebanese say they are happy with her win, that she has brought honor to Lebanon, and has offered a different image of Shi'ite Muslims often stereotyped² as radicals³.

 This handout⁴ photo shows Rima Fakih, 24, of Dearborn, Michigan, as she reacts after being crowned Miss USA 2010, 16 May 2010

Fakih, 24, is from the U.S. state of Michigan.  The raven-haired beauty beat out fellow contestants⁵ in three categories - gown, swimsuit and interview - to take the title, which comes with a crown and $100,000 in scholarships and prizes, including the opportunity to complete a master's degree at a top American university.  But Fakih, who studied economics and business management, has sparked some controversy because she was born in the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon, where her family hails from a Shi'ite Muslim town in the south commonly associated with the Shi'ite militant⁶ group Hezbollah.

Her sister Rana Fakih was also living in the U.S., but recently moved back to Lebanon.  She says the criticism of Rima is tough, and she remembers U.S. President Barack Obama enduring similar remarks, due to his Muslim heritage.  She also remembers Mr. Obama's reply.

"I remember what our president said, 'there's no Arab-American, there's no Asian-American, there's the United States of America', and this is what we believe and this is what Rima believes," she said.

Lebanese on the streets of Beirut say they are proud of Fakih's accomplishment⁷.

"Of course I'm proud of her, she's Lebanese," said Jallal Shazeek. 

And that her family's history is not relevant.

"If she believes that she wants to apply to Miss USA and she wants to do that and that's one of her dreams, then do it, whatever the whole world says, as long as it's not killing⁸ or stealing," Zeina Karam said

While the U.S. labels Hezbollah a terror organization, in Lebanon they hold seats in parliament and in the country's cabinet and are a prominent part of society.   In a Lebanese TV interview, Hezbollah member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah stopped short of criticizing the pageant⁹, which calls for contestants to wear a bikini on stage, saying only that the way Hezbollah judges women is different from the West.  

Hani Nasser was born in Lebanon but moved to the U.S. at age 18.  He says some conservative Muslims may not like the premise¹⁰ of the contest, but that most Lebanese are simply proud.

"If your speaking Shi'ite-wise, it's probably a shame for them, but as a Lebanese nation in general then definitely proud," he said. "I'm really proud to have grown up in Lebanon, and lived there for 18 years, suffered war and being poor and everything, definitely builds up character and gives me more of a drive to succeed." 

Fakih's sister says Rima too has a drive to succeed, and that she will use her prize money to fulfill¹¹ her dream of attending law school.
 

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

3 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

4 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

5 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

10 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

11 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。