2007年VOA标准英语-Ban Says UN Remains Key to Solving Global Probl

By Mike O'Sullivan
27 July 2007

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is on a two-day visit to California to discuss climate change and other global challenges. Mike O'Sullivan reports from San Francisco, the secretary-general says the United Nations suffers an image problem in the United States, but that the organization remains¹ the best hope for solving international problems.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the challenges facing the world today require dialogue and collective action. He lists the main issues, as he sees them.

"You have international terrorism, abject² poverty, sanitation³, pandemic diseases, and most importantly these days, climate change issues," he said.

Ban, who addressed San Francisco's World Affairs Council Thursday, said global warming will be a U.N. priority during his tenure⁴. He says the United States, the leading emitter of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, can play a pivotal role in solving the problem.

"The United States is the largest emitter," he said. "But what is fortunate is that the United States is the biggest technological⁵ innovator⁶."

Ban is the former South Korean foreign minister, and he has been at the helm of the United Nations for just seven months. He says the world body is under-appreciated in the United States, and he cites a poll in which two-thirds of Americans said they believe the United Nations is doing a poor job.

On a more positive note, the U.N. chief says, nearly three-quarters of Americans believed the United Nations should play a bigger role in solving the world's problems. He says he is committed to reforming the organization, increasing its efficiency and effectiveness and making its operations more transparent⁷.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban K-moon visits with Libby Patterson

Ban notes that the United Nations was created in San Francisco in 1945, and says the city also gave him his first glimpse of America. As an 18-year-old student, he spent eight-days in suburban⁸ San Francisco, and he paid a visit Thursday to the woman who hosted him, 90-year-old Libba Patterson.

She described him as a focused and serious teenager. Today, Ban is a soft-spoken and careful diplomat⁹, who defends his low-key manner, saying he is a man who gets things done.

"I may not offer soaring rhetoric¹⁰, but I do promise results," he said.

Friday, the secretary-general will meet with a man with a more forceful style but a similar focus on environmental issues, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two will discuss global warming and the aggressive measures California has taken to address it. Then they will visit a company that has developed technology to curb¹¹ greenhouse gas emissions¹².

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 abject   

adj.极可怜的，卑屈的

参考例句：

• This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。
• He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

3 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

6 innovator   

n.改革者；创新者

参考例句：

• The young technical innovator didn't lose heart though the new system was not yet brought into a workable condition. 尽管这种新方法尚未达到切实可行的状况，这位青年技术革新者也没有泄气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Caesar planned vast projects and emerged as a great innovator. 恺撒制定了庞大的革新计划。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

7 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。

8 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

10 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

11 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

12 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。