时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(二月)


英语课

By Heda Bayron
Hong Kong
22 February 2006
 
 
Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos, center, jumps with others as he opens an exhibit on the 20th anniversary of People's Power in suburban 1 Makati, south of Manila, Philippines,on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006
  
In February 1986, Filipinos astonished the world by ousting 2 a dictator without bloodshed, an event heralded 3 as a new beginning for the Philippines. But 20 years after the so-called people power uprising, there is disappointment and frustration 4 at where the country is headed.

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When Agapito Aquino heard news of a military mutiny, he immediately swung into action. It was the early evening of February 22, 1986, and the country's police chief and defense 5 minister had just announced they were breaking away from Ferdinand Marcos, who had harshly ruled the Philippines since 1965.

The city's Catholic archbishop, a staunch critic of Marcos, appealed for people to gather at Manila's EDSA highway, to protect the rebels.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos came - housewives, students, nuns 6, priests, the rich and the poor - creating a human shield against government tanks. Aquino recalls the night.

"We were counting on Filipinos not shooting unarmed Filipinos," said Aquino.

For Aquino, it was an unexpected turn of events in the country's struggle for justice and democracy. His brother, pro-democracy opposition 7 leader Benigno Aquino, was killed by government troops three years before.

After a four-day standoff, the people won. Without bloodshed, Marcos and his family fled the Philippines - ending 20 years of repression 8.

Aquino, now a congressman 9, remembers what made it all happen. "It was a combination of the outrage 10 of the people, long-time anger and the real desire for change," he said.

But 20 years later, many Filipinos say they are still waiting for that change to happen. The corruption 12 and patronage 13 characteristic of the Marcos dictatorship pervade 14 today's politics.

And no government has been able to make the economic and legal reforms needed to encourage investment, increase tax collection and narrow that vast gap between the country's rich and poor.

The majority of the population is poor. High unemployment has forced millions of Filipinos to work overseas, mostly as manual laborers 15.

The economy, which 50 years ago was one of the most promising 16 in Asia, is now among the poorest. And the country continues to suffer from a high crime rate and a violent communist insurgency 17.

While the Philippines restored democratic institutions, political analysts 18 say it failed to make them work.

Professor Belinda Aquino is an expert on Philippine politics at the University of Hawaii.

"Only Marcos and his cronies were taken out. The institutions that were his instruments for his martial 19 rule remained," she said. "So it was back to the same old system of corruption because these institutions that were corrupt 11 to begin with were never dismantled 20."

Analysts say the people power movement left a legacy 21 of shortcut 22 democracy - the easy abandonment of legal processes in favor of removing unpopular leaders by mass protest.

In 2001, an uprising removed president Joseph Estrada, following the collapse 23 of his impeachment 24 trial for corruption.

Military factions 25 also attempted to snatch power from civilian 26 presidents several times since 1986.

Critics of President Gloria Arroyo 27, who succeeded Estrada, now agitate 28 for her ouster over alleged 29 corruption and electoral fraud. For months, Manila has buzzed with rumors 30 of a coup 31 attempt.

Miriam Coronel Ferrer, a politics professor from the University of the Philippines, says the conditions for another uprising against Arroyo are there. But she says Filipinos are also weary of people power uprisings.

"But precisely 32 because people have seen that changing political leadership without further guarantees does not necessarily lead to long standing 33 changes," she said. "There's now more hesitation 34 to just resort to the methods that worked before."

Mrs. Arroyo Tuesday said another popular revolt would be disastrous 35. She said investors 36 would dismiss the Philippines as a "hopelessly unstable 37" country.

Congressman Aquino says if Filipinos truly want to rebuild their country, they should look no farther than 1986.

"It was during that time when we became selfless, there was solidarity 38 among the people, there was spiritually," said Aquino. "So … we just have to learn to sacrifice for the country, identify with the people and of course, learn some selflessness."

Tens of thousands of Filipinos are expected to this week to hold dozens of protests to mark the anniversary, and try to recall the spirit of first people power rebellion.



adj.城郊的,在郊区的
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
驱逐( oust的现在分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺
  • The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
  • The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。
v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 );宣布(好或重要)
  • The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.挫折,失败,失效,落空
  • He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 )
  • Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句
n.反对,敌对
  • 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。
n.镇压,抑制,抑压
  • The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
  • This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。
n.(美)国会议员
  • He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
  • The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
n.暴行,侮辱,愤怒;vt.凌辱,激怒
  • When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
  • We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的
  • 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。
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
  • 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。
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场
  • Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午,店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
  • I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉,我的赞助只能到此为止。
v.弥漫,遍及,充满,渗透,漫延
  • Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives.科学和技术已经渗透到我们生活的每一个方面。
  • The smell of sawdust and glue pervaded the factory.工厂里弥漫着锯屑和胶水的气味。
n.体力劳动者,工人( laborer的名词复数 );(熟练工人的)辅助工
  • Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
adj.有希望的,有前途的
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
n.起义;暴动;叛变
  • And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国,动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
  • Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • 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。
adj.战争的,军事的,尚武的,威武的
  • The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
  • The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。
拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 ); 拆卸; 废除; 取消
  • The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
  • The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西
  • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
  • He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
n.近路,捷径
  • He was always looking for a shortcut to fame and fortune.他总是在找成名发财的捷径。
  • If you take the shortcut,it will be two li closer.走抄道去要近2里路。
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
n.弹劾;控告;怀疑
  • Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国,弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
  • The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。
组织中的小派别,派系( faction的名词复数 )
  • The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
  • rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的
  • There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
  • He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。
n.干涸的河床,小河
  • She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
  • They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。
vi.(for,against)煽动,鼓动;vt.搅动
  • They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
  • All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。
a.被指控的,嫌疑的
  • It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
  • alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷
  • Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.政变;突然而成功的行动
  • The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
  • That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
n.犹豫,踌躇
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的
  • The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
  • Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨,血本无归。
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
adj.不稳定的,易变的
  • This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实,装不了这么多书。
  • The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。
n.团结;休戚相关
  • They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
  • The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。
学英语单词
3-furylmethylamine
abrooks
All 's well that ends well.
annabergite
arsenate of lead
arteria perinealis
asmal
autocontrol
balance account book from last year
baldface
be concentric with...
Bernreuter personality inventory
bestroke
Bromfield tenaculum
Burnpur
cap code
cargo sheet clerk
chaperonages
connatre
consortium creditor
constriction nozzle
continuus
controlled extraction turbine
corticoafferent
critical incident technique
cross-checked
cyanoses
danger latch
deposit concrete
diem perdidi
efiss
enchastened
Enderby Land
fabric bias cutting machine
fernham
flexible pipeline pig
flower whorl
food stylists
good standing
hit probability payoff
inaequivalvular
innatist
intercrystalline fluid
Joint Tort feasors
Kloedonellocopina
knife blade
li-li
logarithmic average
ludmilla
marl earth
mear
mineral paint thinner
minimum carrier level
navicula zostereti
nekulturny
neoprene seal
neotropical floral kingdom
nutating
oouen
OTW
out-box
PA-AO2
pandemics
Patrinia villosa
permian clay
phosphonium ion
play ball
pottered
protestant denominations
PSCM
Pseudolarix raempferi Gordon
pyrometer cone
radiophototelegraphic transmitter
rahzel
ramdas
reaction-water turbine
rebid
repaster
repository design
respiration pick-up
rhus aromatica ait fragrant sumac
ruddy turnstones
Schuman,William Howard
segment data buffer
ship theory
short term
snail-shaped
snap-on red filter
soapier
tachygraphs
thalassion
throwout bearing
transistor parameter meter
trisulphides
turtleneck
ultra-democracy
unhipness
variety theater
vitreous materials
whistle in the dark
wind river pk.
zanyisms