2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Vows Action Against Human Trafficking

By Paula Wolfson
White House
10 January 2006

President Bush   
  
President Bush is vowing¹ strong action against those engaged in the practice known as human trafficking:  luring² people into forced labor³ or prostitution.

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The stories are heartbreaking: children and teenagers sold into a modern form of slavery, some as forced labor, many more as prostitutes.

President Bush says the United States government cannot sit idly by while human traffickers take advantage of the young, the helpless and the poor.

"The trade in human beings continues in our time and we are called by conscience and compassion⁴ to bring this cruel practice to an end," said Mr. Bush.

The president spoke⁵ as he signed legislation setting aside more than $360 million over the next two years to fight human trafficking.  The bill funds new programs to help the victims, as well as expanded efforts to find and prosecute⁶ those responsible for their plight⁷.

"It takes a perverse⁸ form of evil to exploit and hurt those vulnerable members of society.  Human traffickers operate with greed and without conscience, treating their victims as nothing more than goods and commodities for sale to the highest bidder," he added.

Mr. Bush said thousands of children and teenagers are smuggled⁹ into the United States each year and forced into what he called "sexual servitude."  He said more money is being provided to state and local police to catch the traffickers, and go after the customers who keep this illegal trade alive.

"We cannot put the criminals out of business until we also confront the problem of demand," he noted¹⁰.  "Those who pay for the chance to sexually abuse children and teenage girls must be held to account."

President Bush said many other countries are joining the United States in tackling human trafficking.  He made specific mention of the nations of Southeast Asia, saying they are working with the U.S. to crack down on what is commonly know as "sex tourism," where customers travel from one country to another in search of young prostitutes.

1 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

2 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

3 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。

4 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

5 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。

6 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？

7 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

8 perverse   

adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的

参考例句：

• It would be perverse to stop this healthy trend.阻止这种健康发展的趋势是没有道理的。
• She gets a perverse satisfaction from making other people embarrassed.她有一种不正常的心态，以使别人难堪来取乐。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 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。