时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(一月)


英语课
By Bill Rodgers
Washington D.C.
24 January 2008
 


Human rights and press monitoring groups consider the Middle East and North Africa as regions having the worst record for press freedom in the world. Outright 1 censorship, restrictive laws and intimidation 2 of journalists are among the tools used by governments to maintain control over the media. More from VOA's Bill Rodgers.


Watchdog groups say Israel is the only country in the region considered to have a free press. They say the media in most of the other countries in the Middle East and North Africa are tightly controlled.


Restrictive laws on what can be reported are one way press freedom is suppressed, says Joel Campagna of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "I think when you read some of the language in these press laws and, in fact, when you compare them across the region, the language is very similar, it seems as if they're borrowed, they appear designed to allow control over the media from licensing 3, to what can and cannot be printed, to allow the authorities to control or rein 4 in dissenting 5 journalism," he said.


Campagna spoke 6 at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, exploring freedom of the press in the Arab world. Acting 7 committee chairman Gary Ackerman expressed concern over the situation. "When governments cease to be public servants and instead become devotees of their own interests, censorship, secrecy 8 and misinformation are sure to follow. Bad government cannot tolerate a free press and cannot long survive in conditions where there is true freedom of expression."


Watchdog groups say, in general, the Arab press seldom runs articles critical of its national leaders or policies. Television is usually state controlled. The one topic that seems free from censorship is criticism of Israel.


And much of that press coverage 9 is virulent 10 and often anti-Semitic, says Kenneth Jacobson of the Anti-Defamation League. He warns that this kind of propaganda -- among other things -- undermines Arab support for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. "It is hard to imagine that such folks having images of Jews in Israel of the classical, conspiratorial 11 type, would be open to making peace. So, number one, it is an obstacle to peace and, secondly 12, of course, it is a great generator 13 of rationalization, and even support for the worst kind of terrorism."


Satellite television networks, such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya are the only bright spots for press freedom say the panelists. Without more freedom of the press, they warn, democracy will not take root in the Middle East.




1 outright
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的
  • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事,你应该直率地对我说。
  • You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
2 intimidation
n.恐吓,威胁
  • The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
  • The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。
3 licensing
v.批准,许可,颁发执照( license的现在分词 )
  • A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
  • That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句
4 rein
n.疆绳,统治,支配;vt.以僵绳控制,统治
  • The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
  • He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。
5 dissenting
adj.不同意的
  • He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
  • A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。
6 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
7 acting
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
8 secrecy
n.秘密,保密,隐蔽
  • All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
  • Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。
9 coverage
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖
  • There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
  • This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
10 virulent
adj.有毒的,有恶意的,充满敌意的
  • She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
  • I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评,我还是维护她。
11 conspiratorial
adj.阴谋的,阴谋者的
  • She handed the note to me with a conspiratorial air. 她鬼鬼祟祟地把字条交给了我。 来自辞典例句
  • It was enough to win a gap-toothed, conspiratorial grin. 这赢得对方咧嘴一笑。 来自互联网
12 secondly
adv.第二,其次
  • Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二,动脑筋提出自己的见解。
  • Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次,需要确定所作用的载荷。
13 generator
n.发电机,发生器
  • All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
  • This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。
学英语单词
5-mercaptomethyluracil
ability to compete
alkalex
analogue pulse
archicortex
astrogeodetic point
Baghdad school
Bedlington terriers
board checking
brandiron
brynglas
bullae formation
bursa gastrocnemiosemimembranacea
Burundi franc
campus-legend
carbonizing period
carry it
caryopterone
cast dirt at
center of gravitation
cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
clubfisted
coating attenuator
cost of exports for earning foreign currency
definite point
disk diflection angle
education data services
ethylbenzene
Fanny Wright
flat-bottom crown
flotation frother
gain one's point
garboard planks
general arrangement of pipelines
geometric analysis
glass-houses
gravedancer
gruntling
high-geared capital
hmf
interval valued extension
Italy
kammen
lambari (lanacre)
lepidone
Marciana
metallic deposition
mex-tex
modulation-type
moscow' newport
near-vertical
neurotize
nonprobability sampling
onychium siliculosum c. chr.
pants leg
parabolic asymptote
per.
performing artists
pinera
preliminary washing
pressel
putting up to
Rankine(-cycle) thermal efficiency
relligion
remorts
repleading
residual error rate
restoration of waste land
restriction board
Reuben sandwiches
rigglesfords
rotating paddle switch
royalize
Roz
Sciadopitys verticillata
second wheel bridge
shared medium
shirtsleeved diplomacy
shrowd
side-opening stall
siren
soil evolution
srteannuin
stratum super stratum
superdramatic
tax discharged
tegmentum of pons
termagant
tles
traumatological
trawl roller
trigger stop
tsarina
under-drudgery
unstaved
untenabilities
West Haven
wet gas purifier
white cement
young river
zelene