2007年VOA标准英语-Ukrainians Skeptical About Parliamentary Electi

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
29 September 2007

Ukrainian voters go to the polls on Sunday in a special election to choose a new parliament.  But as VOA correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from Kyiv there is widespread doubt about the credibility of the election and the likelihood it will change what many believe to be the country's fundamental political problem.

Major Ukrainian political parties have indicated a readiness to protest election results that are not in their favor.  Such readiness reflects suspicions that the vote count may be rigged.  A sizable disparity between exit polls and the official tally¹ provided by Ukraine's Central Election Commission is expected to trigger protests by whichever side feels cheated.   

Serhiy Tarnawsky, a Kyiv art dealer², is boycotting³ the vote and expresses doubt that exit polls will allay⁴ possible questions about the final result.

Tarnawsky says exit polls are not necessarily objective. She says they depend on how questions are asked, what intonation⁵ is used, and what is accentuated⁶. 

Tarnawsky doubts the election will change anything, but recognizes the underlying⁷ stakes, including the very unity⁸ of Ukraine, and the country's political orientation⁹ between East and West, between Russia and NATO.

The Regions Party of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych leans toward Russia and is expected to win the largest number of seats in parliament.

ByuT, an abbreviation for Bloc¹⁰ of Yulia Tymoshenko, is expected to come in second in the vote, followed by Our Ukraine, the pro-western party of President Viktor Yushchenko.  Ms. Tymoshenko, a former prime minister, was allied¹¹ with President Viktor Yushchenko during the so-called Orange Revolution following the disputed 2004 presidential election. After the vote, Our Ukraine may form an alliance with Timoshenko's movement to form a majority in the 450-seat assembly.

Lack of unity among the pro-Western Orange Forces, however, could give their common opponent in the Regions Party the upper hand in deciding the next parliamentary coalition¹²

The Socialist¹³ Party may not break the minimum threshold required for representation in Parliament and could be replaced by the party of former speaker Anatoly Lytvyn.

Valeria Vladimirovna, a Russian-speaker and wife of a retired¹⁴ Soviet¹⁵ fighter pilot, says her vote is for Regions, though she supports Ukrainian independence and prefers a non-aligned status.  She too doubts the election will change Ukraine's fundamental political problem, which she pins on a flawed constitution that allows for an ongoing¹⁶ power struggle between the president, prime minister and parliament.

Vladimirova says that despite the flaws in the constitution, she hopes some measure of truth will emerge from what she calls the current friction¹⁷.

She says wealthy politicians are running Ukraine and ignoring the needs of ordinary people, retirees, the homeless, and the education of Ukrainian youth.

Bohdan Ostrovsky, a folk musician from a village in Western Ukraine, says he and his friends are splitting their votes.  Some, including Ostrovsky, will vote for Our Ukraine, others for the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc.  

The September 30 special election comes as the result of President Viktor Yushchenko's decision in April to dissolve parliament.  He had accused the Regions Party of using unconstitutional tactics to convince lawmakers to switch parties to gain a parliamentary majority.

1 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

2 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

3 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

4 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

5 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。

6 accentuated   

v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于

参考例句：

• The problem is accentuated by a shortage of water and electricity. 缺乏水电使问题愈加严重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her black hair accentuated the delicateness of her skin. 她那乌黑的头发更衬托出她洁嫩的皮肤。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

10 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

11 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

16 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。

17 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。