VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Says Colombia Trade Agreement Vital to Sec

By Scott Stearns
White House
12 March 2008

President Bush says Congress should approve a free-trade agreement with Colombia in recognition of President Alvaro Uribe's fight against violence and drug trafficking. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Mr. Bush says failing to approve that agreement this year would embolden¹ U.S. adversaries², including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

President Bush says time is running out for a free-trade agreement with Colombia. If the deal is not approved, Mr. Bush told the Hispanic Chamber³ of Commerce that it would send a signal to Latin America that the United States can not be trusted to stand by its allies.

"The Colombia agreement is pivotal to America's national security and economic interests right now," he said. "And it is too important to be held up by politics."

If approved, the deal would eliminate tariffs⁴ on more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of industrial and consumer goods and make permanent Colombia's preferential access to the U.S. market.

President Bush says Colombia is one of America's closest allies in the hemisphere and President Uribe has proven to be a strong and capable partner in fighting drugs, crime and terror.

Mr. Bush says the Colombian leader has spoken-out against anti-Americanism, making hard choices that the president says deserve the admiration⁵ and gratitude⁶ of the United States.

President Bush is backing President Uribe in his stand-off with Ecuador and Venezuela after Colombian troops attacked rebels based across the border in Ecuador earlier this month. Bogota apologized for the raid, but said it is a necessary part of its struggle against the FARC rebels.

Colombian officials say documents found during the fighting show that Venezuelan President Chavez paid $300 million to support those rebels. Venezuelan officials reject that claim.

President Bush says Colombia is waging an aggressive campaign against terrorists who do not respect national sovereignty or borders. He says President Chavez's praise for the FARC and his decision to send Venezuelan troops to the Colombian border is the latest step in what Mr. Bush calls a disturbing pattern of provocative⁷ behavior.

"As it tries to expand its influence in Latin America, the regime claims to promote social justice," said Mr. Bush. "In truth, its agenda amounts to little more than empty promises and a thirst for power. It has squandered⁸ its oil wealth in an effort to promote its hostile, anti-American vision."

President Bush says one of the most important ways the United States can demonstrate its support for Colombia is approving the free-trade agreement to support security in the Western Hemisphere and ensure a level playing field for U.S. products.

1 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。

2 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

3 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

5 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

6 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

7 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

8 squandered   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。
• She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）