2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Begins Week-Long Latin America Tour

By Paula Wolfson
Sao Paulo, Brazil
08 March 2007

President Bush has embarked¹ on a week-long tour of Latin America.  VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson sets the scene for the trip from his first stop, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

 
President Bush, right, accompanied by First Lady Laura Bush, waves prior to boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base

President Bush came to office with a vow² to make Latin America a policy priority.

"Our hemisphere is not going to be an afterthought for this administration," he said.  "One of the most important parts of our foreign policy will be to promote prosperity and peace and freedom throughout this hemisphere."

But everything changed on September 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the United States.  Fighting terrorism soared to the top of the Bush administration agenda, along with promoting democracy in the Middle East.  Latin America was overshadowed by news of war and bloodshed, and some to the south began to believe they were being ignored.

"Generally speaking, the United States is not viewed with the confidence it once was," said Peter Hakim, who heads a group called the Inter-American Dialogue, a private organization set up to foster hemispheric ties.

"I have not seen in the region, and I travel there quite a bit, as much anti-U.S. sentiment across the region and it is very pervasive," he added.

White House aides say President Bush is making this trip in an effort to persuade America's neighbors to the South that he does care about their plight³. 

At a recent Washington address, the president indicated the journey will highlight, if not a policy shift, at least a change in focus.

"The working poor of Latin America need change, and the United States of America is committed to that change," added Mr. Bush.

Mr. Bush will spend a lot of his time visiting programs that help the poor and the disenfranchised.  Instead of devoting most of his public comments to issues like free trade and counter-narcotics, he will use this trip to showcase his willingness to help the democracies of the region meet the basic needs of their people: education, health care and housing.

Cynthia Arnson is director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.  She says the Bush administration has realized that too many people in the region feel the move to democracy and free markets has done little if anything to improve their lives.

"It is a recognition at the highest levels of the U.S. government that there are other issues at play in the hemisphere than the ones the United States has traditionally focused on," she noted⁴.

 
Hugo Chavez
Arnson says the lack of progress has enabled a new political left to take hold in Latin America.  And no one exemplifies that new left better than the anti-American president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.

"I think it is true that there is probably no issue that serves as a common denominator defining today's left in the region more than the desire to address the massive poverty and social injustice⁵ that exists in various degrees of severity throughout Latin America," she added.

The White House denies the president is going to Latin America to counter Hugo Chavez, and US officials say they expect little mention of the Venezuelan leader in Mr. Bush's public comments. 

What they do expect is an emphasis on the positive, as President Bush stops at youth centers, visits farm cooperatives, and pays homage⁶ to the region's indigenous⁷ culture. 

His travels will take him from Brazil to Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico for meetings with presidents from the political left to the right of center. 

The aim may well be to show that Mr. Bush is willing to work with any hemispheric leader who believes in, what he calls, good governance.  That amounts to a belief in democracy and free markets combined with a strong desire to make sure the benefits reach all members of society, not just a privileged few.

1 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

2 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

3 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。

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 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

7 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。