2006年VOA标准英语-Kenya Prepares for International Parliamen

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
30 March 2006

Kenyan officials Thursday launched preparations for an international assembly of parliaments to be held in Nairobi in May. This is the first time the assembly will be held in East Africa.

More than 1,500 members and other officials from parliaments around the world are scheduled to converge¹ in Nairobi from May 7 to May 12.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly is expected to focus on the role of parliament in three areas: controlling the flow of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition²; managing the environment; and combating violence and discrimination against women.

Kenya's speaker of the national assembly, Francis ole Kaparo, told those attending Thursday's launch ceremony how Kenya and the surrounding region would particularly benefit from the arms and environment discussions.

"We've been victims as a nation of the uncontrolled influx³ of small arms into Kenya because of what is happening in our neighborhood... Right now we are going through one of the most unprecedented⁴ droughts in the history of this nation," said Ole Kaparo. "I suspect the destruction of the environment has everything to do with it."

Kenyan member of parliament Beth Mugo told the gathering⁵ she is pleased that, for the first time in the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly's history, all members, not just a sideline caucus⁶, will discuss the plight⁷ of women.

Mugo tells VOA discussions are expected to include what parliaments can do about violence against women and alleviating⁸ women's poverty.

"I think the world, and parliament being the policymakers, have realized we have to put women center stage if we have to get where we want this world to get," she said.

Mugo told the gathering it is vital that women be adequately represented in parliaments. She pointed⁹ to Rwanda and Sweden as being two of a few countries where more than 33 percent of the parliamentary seats and ministerial posts are held by women.

"It is a far cry, of course, in our country [Kenya], where we only have 7.1 percent of women representation in this parliament, and a dismal¹⁰ 0.05 percent in the cabinet," said Mugo. "It's a shame."

She said almost 49 percent of Rwanda's parliament is comprised of women, almost 24 percent of Uganda's parliament are women, and women occupy 33 percent of South Africa's parliament.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, established in 1889, brings together 140 national parliaments worldwide to discuss world peace and the establishment of transparent¹¹, representative good governance.

The organization normally has two assemblies a year, one in Geneva and one in a host country. Six assemblies have been held in Africa, but never in East Africa until now.

1 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。

2 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

3 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

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 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

11 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。