2006年VOA标准英语-The Corrupting Influence of Money and Powe

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington
06 January 2006
 
watch Corruption² report
 
  
  
One of Washington's most powerful lobbyists, Jack³ Abramoff, pleaded guilty to corruption charges twice this week, in Washington on Tuesday and in Florida on Wednesday.  The charges of conspiracy⁴, fraud, and tax evasion⁵ stemmed from a federal investigation⁶ of influence peddling⁷ in Washington.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports that Abramoff fell victim to the temptations of money and power in the nation's capital.

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Jack Abramoff in 1988 
  

In 1988, Jack Abramoff was a rising Republican star who spoke⁸ at the Party's nominating convention that year.  Since then, Abramoff earned tens of millions of dollars as a lobbyist for gambling⁹ casinos owned by American Indian tribes, who sought favorable laws from Congress to protect their financial interests.

David Boaz   
  
David Boaz, Executive Vice-President of the Cato Institute think tank in Washington, says Abramoff's downfall was not lobbying, but greed. "There are honorable and decent lobbyists.  There are people who are here to represent an interest group, a state, an ethnic¹⁰ group.  But I think he represents what lobbying can come to, and he reminds us that when you put a lot of money out on a platter, people are going to want to get a hold of it, and they're going to use any means necessary to get hold of it," said Mr. Boaz.
 

Alice Fisher  
  
Alice Fisher, the U.S. Deputy Attorney General said, "Government officials and government action are not for sale." She also says the Justice Department will aggressively investigate and prosecute¹¹ cases like Abramoff's, which have a devastating¹² impact on the public's trust of government.

Ms. Fisher added, "We will not shy away from that responsibility no matter where the trail leads."

That trail is expected to lead to Congress.  Jack Abramoff, in a deal with prosecutors¹³ to get a reduced sentence, is likely to implicate¹⁴ lawmakers who accepted his bribes¹⁵.  

Fred Wertheimer  
  
Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, an organization that promotes civic¹⁶ values, says Washington corruption scandals usually affect the majority party. "That doesn't mean there are no efforts to influence the minority parties, but the principal efforts almost always involve the party in power, the party or the individuals from that party who can deliver results."

Today, that means the Republican Party.  In the 1980s, it was the Democrats¹⁷ in Congress.  Several were arrested after they accepted bribes from FBI agents posing as Arab oil sheikhs. 

The Cato Institute's David Boze says honest lawmakers are those who come to Washington to serve the people or to advance a specific idea.  He says those who fall victim to material temptations lack the strength to do what is right. "It's moral weakness, but it's also specifically philosophical¹⁸ weakness.  If you're not here for any particular purpose, then you're going to find yourself very comfortable taking dinners from lobbyists."

Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21 says it is human nature to take advantage of any system, but that voluntary respect for the law as well as strong enforcement are the best ways to keep corruption to a minimum. "Another key to complying with rules is an understanding that the rules are going to be applied¹⁹ to everyone in the same way; that there is not one set of rules for the powerful and the wealthy, and another set of rules for everyone else."

Jack Abramoff and those he allegedly bribed²⁰ are not the first, nor are they likely to be the last, corrupt¹ individuals in Washington.  Having pleaded guilty, Abramoff will be sentenced to considerable time in jail.  If prosecutors find corroborating²¹ evidence against any politicians he names, they too will lose the freedom and power they once enjoyed.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 peddling   

忙于琐事的，无关紧要的

参考例句：

• He worked as a door-to-door salesman peddling cloths and brushes. 他的工作是上门推销抹布和刷子。
• "If he doesn't like peddling, why doesn't he practice law? "要是他不高兴卖柴火，干吗不当律师呢？

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

14 implicate   

vt.使牵连其中，涉嫌

参考例句：

• He didn't find anything in the notebooks to implicate Stu.他在笔记本中没发现任何涉及斯图的东西。
• I do not want to implicate you in my problem of the job.我工作上的问题不想把你也牵扯进来。

15 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

16 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

17 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

19 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

20 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 corroborating   

v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Neither can one really conclude much from a neat desk, unless there is further corroborating evidence. 实际上，我们也无法从一张整洁的办公桌中得出什么结论，除非还有其它证据进一步证实。 来自互联网