VOA慢速英语2013 莫桑比克面临新的内战威胁?

 

AS IT IS 2013-11-05 Threat of New Civil War in Mozambique? 莫桑比克面临新的内战威胁? 

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is!

I’m Steve Ember.

Today we tell about concerns over a possible return to war in Mozambique -- after many years of peace. 

Next, we visit farms that grow right out of cities across the United States. And we learn how these farms can have an effect on troubled neighborhoods. 

Finally, we tell about Election Day in the United States. 

But first, we turn to what experts are saying about the situation in the southern African nation of Mozambique.

People in Mozambique are concerned about a possible return to civil war after 21 years of peace. The former rebel group Renamo recently said it will no longer honor a peace agreement reached in 1992. It made the announcement after clashes between its fighters and government forces. 

Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party won the civil war. And for a long time, Renamo accused Frelimo of fixing elections so that it can stay in power. The former rebel group has long expressed dissatisfaction at being an opposition¹ party.

Renamo announced last month that it is withdrawing from the 1992 peace agreement. The deal ended 15 years of fighting.

Joseph Hanlon has written about Mozambique and Southern Africa for about 30 years. Mr. Hanlon says he is not too concerned about a return to war, mainly because so many things have changed in 21 years.

“It’s not a return to war because neither side could wage a war. If you go back to the 1990s, Renamo was supported extensively by apartheid South Africa and informally by the United States; they had substantial military capacity.”

But today, he says, Renamo has guerrillas who are in their 50s and 60s. And Mozambique chose to have a small military after the civil war and thus lacks military power. So he says neither side can return to fighting.

Researcher Elisabete Azevedo-Harman is with Chatham House, a London-based policy center. She says the roots of this latest conflict go back many years. And, she says the reasons involve money and power. She says Renamo has never been a major player in politics, partly because of the way the political system of Mozambique was established.

She also says the group never has succeeded in changing its members from guerrilla fighters to political operators. And, they have lost popular support for that reason.

Mozambique’s increasing wealth from natural gas also presents a problem for Renamo. Ms. Azevedo-Harman says that makes the group feel far from economic power as well as political power.

Mr. Hanlon says he expects leaders to look to the past to settle the current issues. He says perhaps the ruling party should let money settle the problem. 

Ms. Azevedo-Harman proposes a different solution. She believes the two main parties should involve community and religious leaders in immediate² communication and debate.  She says the leaders should have a voice – and not just the two main parties. And she believes the country’s constitution should be re-examined.

“Long term, the country needs to be rethinking the constitutional design that they have -- the presidential system that doesn’t have check(s) and balances.” 

You’re listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

Farms are cropping up in American cities, and they are improving the availability of foods for people in the neighborhood. Christopher Cruise tells us about growing things in unusual places. 

?Farms are spreading to unused city lots and old properties across the United States. These urban farms grow crops in areas where people rarely buy fresh fruits and vegetables. They also have the power to change what people eat and the power to influence troubled neighborhoods.

ECO City Farms is an educational, non-profit organization in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It seeks to empower the community by teaching economic development, job training and a healthier way of living. 

The group has set up farms near automobile³ repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.

Social activist⁴ Margaret Morgan Hubbard founded ECO City Farms. She says the lack of fresh produce is a major health problem for children and their families who live in nearby Bladensburg, Maryland. 

“What’s critical is that 70 percent of the people in these towns and in Price George’s County are either overweight, obese⁵ or have diabetes⁶ or other kinds of diet-related ailments⁷ because they don’t have access to healthy food.”

ECO City Farms offer several programs, including educational activities on agriculture, food and finding jobs with environmentally friendly businesses. People can also learn how to cook healthier foods and teach others how to prepare meals.

On a recent day, Philip Sidibe demonstrated his cooking skills. He prepared Aloco, a popular food in Cameroon, where he grew up.  

“For the plantains you’ve got to cut them in slices and then you’ve got to fry them.”

He and other young people not only cook their food -- they also grow it in a large garden next to the Autumn Woods Apartments. The apartments are home to one thousand people, but the community has just one small store.

Margaret Morgan Hubbard says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters. 

“Our program is about planting seeds, not just in the ground, but in other human beings so that the movement can grow”

She says this means not only farming food, but also making that food available to people who live in the community.

I'm Christopher Cruise.

It’s As It Is in VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

Tuesday is Election Day in the United States. Americans are going to polling or voting stations this year to elect mainly state and local officials. Voters will have to wait until next year to elect all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. That vote is called a midterm election. Americans will have to wait until 2016 to vote for a president and vice⁸ president. 

Most positions sought by state and municipal candidates on Election Day 2013 deal with local, not national issues. Candidates have spoken at political campaign events and fairs, and even used social media to present their messages. 

As you would expect, each message usually says its candidate will do a far better job than their opponent.   

And that’s our program for today. As It Is is a production of VOA Learning English.

Steve Ember, here campaigning for your vote. Of course, we’ll just accept your comments on our web site, if you’d prefer. We’ll see you next time.

1 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。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• 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。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• 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。