2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Meets Business Leaders On Lebanon Aid

By Paula Wolfson
White House
25 September 2006

President Bush has met with a group of American business leaders who are raising private funds to help the people of Lebanon. The president says they are working with U.S. government officials to strengthen the Lebanese economy and support Lebanon's young democratically elected government, following the conflict between Israel and Lebanese-based Hezbollah militants¹.

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The president says the goal is to help the Lebanese economy not only recover from the recent crisis, but flourish. 

Sector2 Initiative, Monday, Sept. 25, 2006" src="/upimg/allimg/070428/1401550.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> President Bush meets with business leaders on Lebanon Private Sector Initiative, Monday, Sept. 25, 2006

He says it is a very important mission for the United States. He says American business leaders are working with the U.S. government to send a message to the Lebanese people.

"We care about you. We want you to live in a free society. We have got great hopes for you," he said. "We believe in your prime minister, Prime Minister Siniora. And we will back up all our words with actions."

The United States has committed $250 million for reconstruction³ in Lebanon. The business community is seeking to complement⁴ that aid package with its own initiative, much like the private assistance efforts that emerged after the Indian Ocean tsunami⁵ in late 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

After a trip to Lebanon to meet with local leaders and assess needs the business leaders went to the White House to share their findings with the president. John Chambers⁶ of Cisco Systems, one of the largest high-tech⁷ firms in the United States, served as spokesman for the group.

He told reporters they see the need for a long-term commitment by the American business community. He said their private initiative will focus on helping⁸ small and medium-sized businesses in Lebanon, building information infrastructure⁹, and encouraging private investment as a way to create jobs.

"This will be an ongoing¹⁰ program. This is not a single mission or a single transaction," he noted¹¹. "It is a commitment from us and this group for three to five years. It is an opportunity to make a difference in life. It is an opportunity that comes your way one time. It is an opportunity for the American people, and especially the American business leaders to send a message: 'We will stand by you, we will make a difference, and we will give this young democracy a chance to show a vision for the future."

Chambers said he was impressed with Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora, noting he is a businessman who understands the link between boosting the economy and building support for democracy. The Cisco Systems executive also said he was struck by the depth of the entrepreneurial spirit he found in Lebanon amidst the rubble¹² of war. He called it amazing.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

5 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

6 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

7 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。