VOA慢速英语 2008 0218a

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The United States Center for Citizen Diplomacy¹ is a nonprofit group started in Iowa in two thousand six. It says every American has the right, and even the responsibility, to help shape foreign relations "one handshake at a time."

Last week, in Washington, the center honored six Americans with its first National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy. A two-day conference also took place to urge more Americans to become citizen diplomats².

 
National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy announced
Nineteen-year-old Anjali Bhatia of New Jersey³ was the youngest winner. At sixteen, she started a group called Discover Worlds to build relations between the United States and Rwanda. The aim is to help orphans⁴ from the nineteen ninety-four genocide and young people affected⁵ by H.I.V. to stay in school.

Discover Worlds has fifty-seven locally run student groups across the United States. And there are hopes for partnerships⁶ in India soon. Anjali Bhatia says that by the end of this year, Discover Worlds hopes to be supporting about two hundred fifty Rwandan orphans. Its members also write letters to the children.

Another award winner, Tarik Daoud, is a business leader in Michigan who has led international delegations⁷. He was recognized for his work for cross-cultural understanding through groups like the International Visitors Council of Detroit.

Khris Nedam is an elementary school teacher in Michigan who has also taught in France, Turkey and Afghanistan. She started a group with her sixth grade students called Kids4AfghanKids which works to rebuild schools in Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson of Montana is co-founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace, and co-author of the book "Three Cups of Tea." The center says he has raised money to build sixty-four schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Jillian Poole of Virginia started the Fund for Arts and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe in nineteen ninety-one. Her work has helped arts and cultural groups deal with a free-market economy after years of depending on government support.

And Donna Tabor volunteers in Granada, Nicaragua, for Building New Hope, a community development group based in Pennsylvania. It supports a small cooperative of coffee farmers in northern Nicaragua. It also operates two schools and a lending library.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss⁸.

 

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。