(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.
Egypt is criticizing an American decision to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the country. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official says the decision is wrong. He says his country is prepared to carry out what he called a political road map, which includes plans for elections next year.
The Obama administration said this week it was suspending the delivery of major weapons to Egypt because of delays in progress toward an inclusive government.
The decision followed an investigation of events since the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi three months ago.
President Obama has also decided to suspend $260 million in assistance to the government that followed the ouster.
Mr. Obama has said there can be no business as usual following the overthrow of Mr. Morsi. American officials say this suspension is a way of expressing that point. But it is far from a complete break in American assistance.
The United States will continue to support programs that it says directly help the Egyptian people. It will also continue financing programs that support what it calls "vital security objectives." These include help aimed at securing Egypt's borders.
Jonathan Broder is with Congressional Quarterly, a publication that reports on American politics. He says Mr. Obama has been under pressure for not taking stronger steps after the ouster of Egypt's democratically-elected leader.
"There is the image that President Obama wants to present to the world as someone who stands up for human rights and for democracy. And the images of Egyptian soldiers killing protesters on the streets of Cairo is a very negative one in the United States. And there's pressure on him from human rights organizations and from some in Congress to suspend the aid."
American officials say Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the move in a telephone call on Wednesday with Egypt's Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. During the call, the two men were said to have re-stated the importance of their countries' relations in guaranteeing Middle East security.
Since July, the Egyptian military has led a campaign against suspected militants and supporters of Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 1,000 people have been killed. Most were militant Islamists.
In recent days, more violence was reported, with attacks on security forces and clashes between protesters and police. Some Egyptians predict it will only lead to increased use of military force.
Emad Shahin is a public policy professor with The American University in Cairo. He thinks military leaders are preparing for a final battle with their long-time enemies.
"They think that the plan by which they managed to charge, to mobilize the anger of the people against Morsi's rule and administration and so on, has gained a momentum and it is really time to break down the Islamists."
For now, many Egyptians are still supporting the military against its opponents. But there are questions of how long that can last.
Mustafa Labbad is director of the Al Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies.
"After a while you have to solve your social and economic problems. And it wouldn't matter if you are wearing a uniform or casual wear. If you are in power, you have to solve these problems."
Observers say repression against one group may be possible. But attempting to suppress a larger movement will prove difficult.
And that's In the News from VOA Learning English. I'm George Grow.
VOA英文文本来自51VOA,译文属可可原创,仅供学习交流使用,未经许可请勿转载 。
词汇学习
1.suspend vt. 暂停;延缓
He was compelled by illness to suspend his experiment.
他因病不得不暂时中断实验 。
2.delivery n. 传送,投递
The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.
这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递 。
3.inclusive adj. 包括的,包罗广泛的
The academy is far more inclusive now than it used to be.
该学会的包容性比过去强了很多 。
4.negative adj. 消极的,否认的
The crisis had a negative effect on trade.
这次危机对贸易产生了很坏的影响 。
5.mobilize vt. 调动;动员
We must go all out to mobilize the masses.
我们要放手发动群众 。
6.repression n. 压抑;约束;抑制,镇压
The black population is defying curfew and repression.
黑人居民正在反抗戒严和镇压 。
内容解析
1.He says his country is prepared to carry out what he called a political road map, which includes plans for elections next year.
carry out执行;进行
Make sure the firm is competent to carry out the work.
要确保这家公司有能力完成这项工作 。
2.But it is far from a complete break in American assistance.
far from远非
It emerged that her past behaviour was far from irreproachable.
事实表明,她过去的行为绝非无可非议 。
3.There is the image that President Obama wants to present to the world as someone who stands up for human rights and for democracy.
stand up for支持
Only we ourselves could help us, no man stands up for our rights.
只有我们能够拯救我们自己,没有人会为我们的权利去拼命争取的 。
4.They think that the plan by which they managed to charge...
manage to达成,设法
They manage to sign up all the best performers.
他们设法跟所有最佳演员签订合同 。
参考译文
美国之音慢速学英语节目,这里是时事新闻 。
美国决定取消对埃及数亿美元的援助,埃及对此提出批评
。埃及外交部一名官员表示,该决定是错误的 。他说,埃及正准备实施他所说的政治路线图,其中包括明年选举的计划 。奥巴马政府本周表示,由于包容性的政府未取得相应的进展,他们将暂停向埃及运送重要武器
。做出该决定之前,美国针对自三个月前埃及军方罢黜总统穆尔西以来的一系列事件进行了调查
。罢黜总统后,奥巴马总统还决定暂停对埃及政府2.6亿美元的援助 。奥巴马总统表示,穆尔西总统被推翻后,一切都不再像往常一样
。美国官员表示,暂停援助可以表明自己的立场 。但是并不意味着美国暂停所有援助 。美国将继续支持直接帮助埃及民众的项目,还将继续支持涉及“关键的安全目标”的项目,包括帮助保障埃及边境
。Jonathan Broder是《国会季刊》工作人员,该出版物主要报道美国政治
。他表示,自埃及民主选举的领袖被推翻后,奥巴马总统因没有采取更加强硬的措施而受到压力 。“奥巴马总统一直想向世界展现的形象是支持人权和民主
。而埃及士兵在埃及街头杀害抗议者的形象在美国是非常负面的 。所以,人权组织和国会给他施加了很大的压力,要求他暂停援助 。”美国官员表示,国防部长黑格(Chuck Hagel)在周三与埃及国防部长塞西(Abdel Fattah al-Sisi)通电话时讨论了该举动
。在通话中,据称两人重申了两国关系对于保障中东地区安全的重要性 。自7月份以来,埃及军方领导了一项打击可疑的激进分子,穆尔西的支持者和穆斯林兄弟会的运动
。至少1,000人被杀害,其中大部分是伊斯兰分子 。近日出现了更多关于暴力的报道,包括袭击安全力量,抗议者与警察之间的冲突
。一些埃及人预测,这只会导致军方力量更多地介入 。Emad Shahin是美国大学开罗分校的公共政策专家
。他认为,军方领导人正在准备与其宿敌进行最后的决战 。“他们认为自己激起人们对穆尔西的统治,对穆尔西政府等等的愤怒的计划成功了,现在到了粉碎伊斯兰分子的时候
。”目前,许多埃及人仍然支持军方打击对手
。但是这种形势能持续多久不得而知 。Mustafa Labbad是艾尔沙奇区域及战略研究中心主任
。“不久之后,你们不得不解决社会和经济问题
。你们身穿军装还是便装并不重要 。如果你们当权,你们就必须解决这些问题 。”观察员表示,欺压一个群体是可能的
。但是试图压制更大的团体将会非常困难 。以上就是今天的慢速学英语时事新闻节目
。我是George Grow 。
