2007年VOA标准英语-Australia Ready for APEC Summit

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
30 August 2007

Sydney is gearing up for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which starts next week. Residents are grumbling¹ about traffic problems security preparations will create, while protesters are preparing to challenge talks on world trade. As Phil Mercer reports from Sydney, Australian Prime Minister John Howard hopes this year's gathering² of 21 governments will make substantial progress on tackling climate change.

A road closure sign for APEC summit in Sydney

Starting Sunday, thousands of world leaders, government ministers, business people and protesters will gather for a week in Australia's biggest city.

Much of the city center is being shut down to provide security for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Businessmen, commuters and other Sydney residents express dismay at the disruption to their daily lives that lies ahead.

"I think it's basically [a] waste of time, to be honest with you. I'm not sure why it's here and why it's not down in Canberra," said a man. "With the blanket security it's obviously costing a lot of money, it's on the news every night and I don't see the benefits of it. I don't see what we're getting out of it."

He is not alone in his complaints.

"A bit of a nuisance, actually," adds a woman. "I think not being able to go into the city on the day and, yeah, just generally I feel like it's going to be a bit of a pain in the neck."

Sydney residents have though been given a sweetener by the authorities, however. There will be an extra public holiday ahead of the leaders meeting on September 8 and 9. 

A number of items are up for discussion when officials and leaders of APEC convene³.

 

Regional security, including efforts to thwart⁴ North Korea's nuclear ambitions, is certain to be discussed.

U.S. President George Bush also will discuss the situation in Iraq with his Australian host, Prime Minister John Howard, who is a staunch supporter of Washington's policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the environment is expected to take center stage.

John Howard (file photo)

Mr. Howard opposes mandatory⁵ targets on carbon emissions⁶ if they block economic growth. He says he hopes the Sydney summit will find ways to combat climate change without stifling⁷ growth.

"At APEC, we should strive to find agreement on principles for international action that genuinely address the problem, whilst also allowing countries, such as China and Indonesia, to continue to grow and prosper⁸. From Australia's perspective - I can report encouraging reactions from APEC members," he said.

APEC leaders are not expected to endorse⁹ mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane¹⁰, which many scientists blame for warming the earth. Instead non-binding goals are likely to be announced.

That does not sit well with those who say APEC should be more decisive.

Kevin Rudd is the leader of the opposition¹¹ Labour Party, and opinion polls show him likely to oust¹² Prime Minister Howard in an election due in the next few months. Rudd says the Sydney summit should take a bold stand against global warming.

"Put simply, if APEC can't get its act together on one of the biggest challenges that the world faces today, that is, climate change, the APEC will have no effective future. And the Sydney APEC summit should play a key role in bringing together the economies of the Asia-Pacific to drive practical and affective global action that will solve the problem," he said.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum¹³ is a loose grouping of 21 economies bordering the Pacific Ocean, which together account for almost half of world trade. They range from economic giants like the United States and China to the smaller economies of Asia and Latin America.

 

APEC's founding aim was to promote free trade, but in recent years it has also taken positions on a broad range of issues.

Because of its broad scope, APEC is a magnet for thousands of demonstrators, who aim to voice their displeasure on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to controversial Australian labor¹⁴ reforms and the treatment of refugees.

Security measures therefore are the biggest, and most expensive, in Australian history. Fortress-like security has already made parts of the city virtual no-go areas.

Alex Bainbridge

Rally organizer Alex Bainbridge says protesters will not be scared away by the security precautions.

 

"This is part of a seriously intense intimidation¹⁵ campaign, the like of which I've never seen in my experience before," said Bainbridge. "What I think that indicates is that the government is actually very worried. They are vulnerable to the pressure of a people-power movement in the current circumstances."

Despite the grumbling and expected protests, Gerard Henderson, a former Australian government adviser¹⁶, says APEC has carved out a meaningful role for itself.

"Like all international conferences, it's going to disappoint some people, but I think it's much better having APEC and so APEC over the last 15 years or so has made an important contribution to the economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, and to some extent to security in the Asia-Pacific," said Henderson.

Prime Minister Howard has urged Australians to embrace APEC, and says the summit will give this isolated¹⁷ continent a chance to shine on the world stage. The conference will be the biggest diplomatic gathering ever held in Australia.

1 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

2 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。

3 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

4 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

5 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

6 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。

7 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

8 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

9 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

10 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

11 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。

12 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

13 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

14 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。

15 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

16 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

17 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。