时间:2019-02-07 作者:英语课 分类:2007年VOA标准英语(八月)


英语课
By Naomi Schwarz
Freetown
08 August 2007


Sierra Leone's leading presidential candidate, Vice 1 President Solomon Berewa, boycotted 2 country's first-ever pre-election debates. But the other six candidates were on hand and discussed employment, education, health and other issues before an invited crowd. Naomi Schwarz is in Freetown and has more.


Presidential candidate Charles Margai caused a stir at the presidential debates when he arrived, fully 3 clad in his party's orange, more than an hour and a half late.


But the candidate from the newly formed People's Movement for Democratic Change caused an even larger stir minutes later when he accused the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party of inciting 4 political violence. "All of us here will be pretending if we were to say that we do not know the ruling SLPP is bent 5 on perpetrating violence in this country," he said.


He said the debate is an exercise in futility 6 if the elections are not free, fair, democratic and violence free.


But the target of his charge, SLPP candidate, Vice-President Solomon Berewa, was a no-show at the debate. His spokesman, Victor Reider, told VOA political violence was the reason why. "We want some of the leaders, especially the PMDC and the APC leaders, to make a clear and categorical statement against use of violence in this election," he said.


The candidates from SLPP, PMDC, and APC, or All People's Congress, are considered the top contenders to win the election. There have been violent clashes between supporters of these parties in the earlier weeks of the campaign.


The Tuesday debate comes less than a week before presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday. They are the first elections since peacekeepers left the country after the civil war ended, and the first time there is no incumbent 7 running.


However, Berewa, the vice-president, is almost like an incumbent. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah turned power over to him in 2002 and stepped back from an active role in government.


The debate was organized by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and Democracy Sierra Leone. The candidates had three minutes each to answer questions written in advance by the members of the journalists' association.


They addressed topics ranging from child mortality to brain drain.


Speaking about rampant 8 unemployment among Sierra Leone's more than three-million youths, All People's Congress candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma, said it was a problem that needed immediate 9 action. "This is not only a social disaster but an economic waste," he said.


He said, if he won the election, he would put youths to work in building roads, cleaning the garbage-strewn streets, and in farming. He also said he would implement 10 training programs to give professional skills to youths.


But his opponent from the Convention People's Party, Andrew Turay, said education was more important. "All countries that have developed have emphasized education. It is not cheap, it is expensive. We have made it unaffordable to our own people and that is why our kids are out on the streets cleaning the streets of Freetown instead of being doctors or lawyers," he said.


A debate for the vice-presidential candidates was held on Sunday. Berewa's running mate, Momodu Koroma, was not present.


Sierra Leone, although rich in diamonds and other mineral resources, is ranked by the United Nations Development Index as among the world's poorest countries.




n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
抵制,拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
  • The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程,要宫路下台。
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
刺激的,煽动的
  • What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
  • He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
n.无用
  • She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。
  • The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处,这让她很生气。
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的
  • He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
  • It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的
  • Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
  • You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
n.(pl.)工具,器具;vt.实行,实施,执行
  • Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划,除非你能完成这项计划。
  • The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。
学英语单词
abnormal termination abort
Acomatacarus major
allantoicase
amoureuse
antifoundational
banausic
bathurst
Blerick
bracket light
car mirror
centre of dispersal
cepheid variables
ceramic DIP
chamazulenogene
chloranilate
circuit tester
coeruleum thymolis
coordiator
copyright infringement
cortex granati
cosyntropin
counter-clockwise angle
court trusts
cover type map
cupressus arizonicas
cylinder band
declaimeth
deener
dense-graded asphalt concrete
Deutzia nanchuanensis
diesel reduction drive
different diameter roll type husker
distribution account of national income
double-occupancy
draw beam
dustbathing
enprisoning
fitted value
fractional digit
gastricisin
georg ohm
goatburger
guinea keets
Herzegowina
high muckety-muck
Hopf mapping
hypoventilating
Ijesa-Tedo
infrahepatic
kerin
macphersonite
matrimony vines
memorialis hirta (bl.) wedd.
metallic hydrogen
milk tanker transporter
miniseriess
misrepresentation of health information
mother-fuckers
mountain-making movement
neon filledtube
Ness, River
objective analysis value
Oosterdijk
opening of the telescope
overall logic
pearl knitting
periaqueduct
policy credibility
polychromatic light
potassium cobalto-nitrite
Potentilla nervosa
powdered vulcanized rubber
Przysucha
recovery process
red flower
rediverted
relapseth
retroarcs
rexman
Ruhinda
saddle friction-plates
second-string
single-speeds
stealings
stop valve spindle
structural component
supmmeatai triangle
thermal initiation
thermal underwears
topographic interpretation
trapezium segment
trial-for-ignition period
UKBA
umbworld
unbind
uniquely defining class
vehide currency
veiniest
wasn't
witnessest
xenogenesis
Yagi-Uda array