VOA标准英语2011-South Sudan Officials Prepare for Referen

As vote tabulation¹ proceeds in southern Sudan's independence referendum, its leaders are preparing for the day when the final results are in. Officials say whether the region chooses to separate or remain part of Sudan they face vast challenges.

The head of United Nations in southern Sudan, David Gressly, arrived in the region before the north and south signed the peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war and set up the autonomous² regional government in Juba.

He says the southern Sudanese have been preparing for independence and its aftermath ever since.

"A lot of work was done over six years in a land that was very fractured, many armed groups operating in 2005 that have now been brought on board, very little infrastructure³, no roads, no regional government. All of that was created from scratch (from nothing)," Gressly said.

But he and most people working here acknowledge much remains⁴ to be done.

Mou Ambrose Thiik works on governance for Germany's Friederich Ebert Stiftung Foundation.

"The major priority is to get the governance right," said Thiik. "It is very important because that would set up a good foundation for the democratic system that we would like to have."

Officials note that public administration is inefficient⁵, particularly at local levels, due to a lack of experience and training. They say it will take time to institute transparency and good governance.

Deputy Program Director Sarah Johnson works for the Carter Center, which has been working for years in southern Sudan.

"There are many priorities: The basics of making sure that it's a stable, peaceful state and focusing on the basic building blocks of education and health services and expanding the basic government services out into the regions," Johnson said.

Another priority is money to build infrastructure, such as roads, and agriculture to boost business and jobs.

More than 150,000 southern Sudanese have returned home from the north in the past 10 weeks. Many have been gone for generations.

World Food Program Spokesman Peter Smerdon says they need food assistance as they journey home as well as support for months after they arrive.

"Hopefully they have relatives there. They know people," said Smerdon. "And that will help them settle down, find perhaps where their family exactly came from and start to build a new life or at least try and resume the life they left."

He says returnees are to receive help when they plant before the rains begin in March. The World Food Program has stocks to feed up to one-half-million people for six months if necessary.

A major headache is what to do with soldiers who have spent most of their lives fighting. Under the peace agreement, the north and the south agreed to demobilize 90,000 soldiers on each side.

The head of Southern Sudan's Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, William Deng Deng, says only 12,000 have been disarmed⁶ so far, and it is proving to be a difficult task.

"It is not just turning in arms and that is it," Deng said. "Because the soldiers you do not just get their weapons from them and you throw them out. Otherwise they can become a community security problem because the only thing they know is how to use their arms."

He says most soldiers are uneducated and must be taught skills in order to survive as civilians⁷.

The south Sudanese government also must address a lack of security, particularly in the areas along the northern border where clashes continue between security forces and rebel militias⁸.

Finally, U.N. chief Gressly says the authorities eventually will have to address the rising expectations of a people who have suffered for many years.

"The government will have to be very honest about what they (it) can and cannot do," Gressly added. "They will have to also demonstrate visibly that they are dealing⁹ with internal issues of mismanagement, corruption¹⁰, etc. They need to be able to show that they are tackling those problems so that people believe that if they are not getting something today in terms of services that they will in the near future."

Civic¹¹ activist¹² Ambrose Thiik says despite the obstacles he sees reasons for optimism.

"I know we are starting from zero," Thiik said. "But I think southern Sudan will be able to catch up because we have natural resources in abundance, which if they are properly managed we can bridge the gap. We have very enthusiastic and committed leadership and population."

Many are hoping that southern Sudanese who have been living abroad will return, bringing skills and investment capital to boost jobs and the economy.

1 tabulation   

作表，表格； 表列结果； 列表； 造表

参考例句：

• A tabulation of a function of two variables is cumbersome, but possible. 二元函数的列表法是不方便的，然而是可能的。
• Such a tabulation cannot represent adequately the complex gradation relationships between the types. 这样的图表不能充分代表各类型之间的复杂级配关系。

2 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

3 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。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

6 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

11 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。