VOA常速英语2007年-UN Looks Back on Challenging Year

By Cindy Saine
Washington
18 December 2007

The United Nations has faced a number of challenges during the past year, among them, the ongoing¹ crisis in Sudan's Darfur region and a brutal² crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in Burma.  VOA's Cindy Saine takes a look at how the world body dealt with these issues, and the performance of its new secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon.

Late last year when Ban Ki-moon was formally approved as U.N. secretary-general, he pledged his determination to get things done without a lot of fanfare³:

"We should be more modest in our words, but not in our performance," he said.  "The true measure of success for the U.N. is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most."

The soft-spoken former South Korean foreign minister welcomed his appointment as evidence of Asia's rise on the world stage, and noted⁴ that modesty⁵ is a highly-prized quality in Asia.

Ban Ki-moon appears most comfortable out in the field, interacting one-on-one with refugees or U.N. peacekeepers, and not as an orator⁶, speaking to large crowds.

Edward Luck of the International Peace Academy in New York, an expert on the United Nations, describes Ban as determined⁷, resilient and practical.

"I sometimes think of him as our first blue-collar secretary-general, someone who really rolls up his sleeves and just gets to work," he explained.  "He is not one for lofty statements and grand protocol⁸."

Ban inherited an ongoing tragedy in Sudan's Darfur region.  The conflict has killed an estimated 200,000 people since 2003 and displaced an additional 2.5 million.   The United Nations has approved a joint⁹ U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force of 26,000 troops for the region.  But as analyst¹⁰ Chantal de Jonge Oudraat points out, the world body has had difficulty coming up with enough troops and equipment for the ambitious mission.

"The problem is that the U.N. is not able to generate the forces necessary to actually deploy¹¹ and it has a number of equipment needs that are not being met," said Oudraat, a senior fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington.

Analyst Edward Luck agrees about the problems the mission is facing, but is still hopeful for the future.

"If the new mission can be properly equipped, and there are still questions about that, particularly in terms of helicopters, and then if it has an appropriate mix of African and non-African military components¹², something that the regime has been resisting in Khartoum, I think over time it could make a real difference," he noted.

Experts agree that Darfur will remain a top U.N. priority in 2008. 

Another major area of concern for the world body is Burma.  The U.N. special investigator¹³ for Burma says he has pleaded with the country's military rulers to engage in serious dialogue about human rights, following a bloody¹⁴ crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. 

A U.N. report says the crackdown by Burmese security forces in September left at least 31 people dead.  Diplomats¹⁵ and human-rights groups say an unknown number of protesters and many of the Buddhist¹⁶ monks¹⁷ that spearheaded the protests remain in prison, and new arrests are reported almost every day. 
 
But Edward Luck believes U.N. efforts in Burma since the crackdown have played a positive role:

"I think the fact that there is even been some inching forward recently is due in large part to the pressure and sustained attention that the U.N. has devoted¹⁸ to this issue," he added.

U.N. special envoy¹⁹ Ibrahim Gambari has visited Burma several times and is planning another visit.  Ban Ki-moon says Gambari will continue his efforts to bring Burma's generals and detained opposition²⁰ leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the negotiating table to heal the country.

Another issue the United Nations has been grappling with is global climate change. 

A U.N.-sponsored climate change conference in Bali has agreed on a plan to negotiate a new treaty on global warming by 2009.  The agreement was reached after a personal appeal to the delegates by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.  The conference had been deadlocked²¹ by a dispute between the European Union and the United States, which had been resisting efforts to include targets for the reduction of so-called "greenhouse gases" in a final agreement.

The last year has also seen more U.N. "blue-helmet" peacekeeping troops deployed²² around the world than any other time in history. 

2008 promises to be another challenging year, with the United Nations continuing to focus on nuclear proliferation issues in Iran and North Korea, and unresolved conflicts and disputes in Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

4 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。

5 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

6 orator   

n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• The orator gestured vigorously while speaking.这位演讲者讲话时用力地做手势。

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

12 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

13 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

14 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

15 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》

16 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

17 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

19 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

20 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

21 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

22 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。