VOA标准英语2014--News / Africa US-Africa Summit Under Way in Washington

 

News / Africa US-Africa Summit Under Way in Washington

WHITE HOUSE —

U.S. President Barack Obama this week hosts the largest-ever summit of African leaders in Washington to talk about boosting U.S. engagement with the continent.

The U.S. leader hopes to foster capacity building, investment in infrastructure¹, food security, and increasing trade with a region long neglected by U.S. administrations.

With six of the world's ten fastest-growing economies in Africa, President Obama believes it's time to change the way Americans think of the continent.

He says Africa is ripe for U.S. investment.

“We’ve made enormous progress over the last several years in not just providing traditional aid to Africa, helping² countries that are suffering from malnutrition³ or helping countries that are suffering from AIDS, but rather partnering and thinking about how can we trade more and how can we do business together," said the president.

But on a Washington street, demonstrators protesting U.S. engagement with Ethiopia's leader are a reminder⁴ of the risks of attracting investment to countries ruled by corrupt⁵ and repressive governments.

In channeling aid and investment, Africa Analyst⁶ Jennifer Cooke says the U.S. has to be careful not to abet⁷ the type of behavior it is trying to stamp out.

“That is an enduring challenge and the U.S. has to take measures that the assistance it does give - whether it’s in health or education or security — are not diverted and used to prop⁸ up political regimes. It’s tricky⁹ to do, particularly in countries where the U.S. has security interests," said Cooke.

The summit focuses on trade, development, and peacekeeping — but there are no sessions specifically on rule of law and human rights issues.

Analysts¹⁰ say inviting¹¹ African leaders and then lecturing them would be bad form.

President Obama has addressed what he sees as the need for cultural changes in Africa.  He told young Africans ahead of the summit they should respect traditions, but they don't have to accept some of the old ways of doing things.

“Now, I have to say there are some traditions that just have to be gotten rid of and there’s no excuse for them.  Female genital mutilation - I’m sorry, I don’t consider that a tradition worth hanging on to. I think that’s a tradition that is barbaric and should be eliminated," said Obama.

Among the sensitive issues is President Obama's condemnation¹² of anti-gay measures in countries like Uganda - a strategically important U.S. partner.  Relations with Uganda are suffering as a result of U.S. opposition¹³ to a tough law - now annulled¹⁴ - that would have imposed life sentences on some homosexual acts.

Obama is having to find ways to convey his message without endangering partnerships¹⁵, says Jennifer Cooke.

“The U.S. government does need to be careful in how it engages on those issues - particularly the LGBT issue - lest it kind of deepen or feed into the narrative¹⁶ that African leaders and others may play that this is a Western-imposed agenda," she said.

Moving beyond that perception is one of Obama's goals in Africa as his administration seeks to engage the fast-growing continent .

1 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。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 abet   

v.教唆，鼓励帮助

参考例句：

• Do not abet your friend to pry into other people's privacy.不要唆使朋友去窥探别人隐私。
• Be do grateful to those who rebuke you,because they abet your wisdom!一定要感激那些斥责你的人，因为他们助长了你的智慧！

8 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

9 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

12 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

13 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。

14 annulled   

v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去

参考例句：

• Their marriage was annulled after just six months. 他们的婚姻仅过半年就宣告取消。
• Many laws made by the former regime have been annulled. 前政权制定的许多法律被宣布无效。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

16 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。