VOA标准英语2012--In Zambia, Bush Joins Fight Against Cervical Cancer

 

In Zambia, Bush Joins Fight Against Cervical Cancer

In Kabwe, Zambia's second largest city, former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura opened of a new health clinic that specializes in the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer in women.

“We care because we believe that to whom much is given, much is required," said Bush. "And those of us who live in America, live in the most blessed nation ever and therefore when we see suffering, we ought to act.”

Through his George W. Bush Center and other partner organizations, the former president has raised more than $85 million for cervical cancer programs.

He says his goal is to build upon one of the great bipartisan achievements of his presidency¹.

His 2003 AIDS initiative that initially² funded $15 billion-worth of anti-retroviral drugs and treatment to extend the lives of millions of Africans with HIV and AIDS.

Zambia now has the second highest number of cervical cancer cases in the world, in part because many of the women infected with the disease are also living with HIV and have weakened immune systems.

“But the saddest thing of all is to know a lady's life has been saved from AIDS but died from cervical cancer," said Bush. "And so starting in Zambia, the Bush Center, along with our partners, are going to put on a cervical cancer crusade to save lives.”

Jane Chanda, who is HIV positive, is one of the first women at the center to undergo the screening. The health worker applies vinegar to the cervix area - to turn any cancerous nodes white - and then uses a digital camera to locate any potential problems. The screening shows Jane to be cancer-free and she says she is grateful to former President Bush.

“He's a very nice person," said Chanda. "I thank him and I am wishing you [him] a happy life, a good life.”

At home Bush's presidency remains³ a controversial subject, dominated by the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, prolonged wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a deep global recession.

But in Zambia and much of Africa, he is remembered for saving lives. A mother in Kabwe who just gave birth named her baby George in honor of his visit.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says. Bush deserves the credit. He says in 2003, Bush saw AIDS in Africa as a humanitarian⁴ disaster - that if left unchecked could destabilize the entire continent.

“When the president came forward and said, 'HIV/AIDS - we can save lives," said Morrison. "We can enhance lives. We can stabilize⁵ societies.' It was with a very powerful ethical⁶ and moral rationale as much as it was about a security rationale.”

In his post-presidency Mr. Bush says he will continue to advocate for global health issues. For him, he says, it is a labor⁷ of love. 

1 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

6 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。