VOA标准英语 Obama Eases Cuba Travel, Money Restrictions

U.S. President Barack Obama is making it easier for Cuban-Americans to travel and send remittances¹ to relatives in Cuba. Monday's announcement came just days before a summit of hemispheric leaders in Trinidad and Tobago.
　
Fidel Castro (file photo)

The move does not lift the 47-year-old U.S. trade embargo² against Cuba. But it does provide an opening.

The estimated 1.5 million Americans with family in Cuba will now be freer to visit and send financial help to their relatives.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says all restrictions⁴ on travel and remittances are being lifted. At the same time, the Obama administration is authorizing⁵ greater telecommunications links to Cuba and expanding the list of humanitarian⁷ items that can be sent in gift packages to Cuba.

Gibbs says all of these steps are designed to help bring about the day the Cuban people can freely determine their nation's future. "All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects the basic human, political and economic rights of all of its citizens. President Obama believes the measure he has taken today will help make that goal a reality," she said.

But Gibbs cautions that the actions taken by the president alone will not be sufficient. He says Cuba's leaders must take steps too. "There are actions that he [i.e., President Obama] can and has taken today to open up the flow of information, provide some important steps to help that. But he is not the only person in this equation," she said.

The move fulfills⁸ one of the president's campaign promises and comes ahead of this weekend's Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Central and South American leaders who will attend the summit have been urging the United States to adopt a more open policy toward Cuba.

President Obama has already indicated he would be willing to engage Cuba in a well-prepared diplomatic dialogue.

But Monday's announcement at the White House made no mention of overtures⁹ to officials in Havana. Instead, the focus was on people-to-people exchanges -- encouraging family ties, and clearing the way for U.S. telecommunication⁶ firms and satellite radio and television services to seek access to the Cuban market.

Critics of the move -- including several Cuban-Americans in Congress -- warned that the money sent back to Cuba would ultimately line the pockets of Cuba's communist officials.

Dan Restrepo, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the White House National Security Council, told reporters that President Obama is calling on Havana to stop adding fees to the remittances.

"We are getting ourselves out and the Cuban government should get itself out of the way and allow Cuban families to support Cuban families," he said.

In a break with usual White House practice, the official announcement on Cuba was delivered in two languages: Gibbs spoke³ in English and Restrepo in Spanish.

Restrepo, who has family ties to Colombia, also answered questions in Spanish from regional reporters, marking the first time in recent memory that a dual¹⁰ language press briefing was held at the White House.

1 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

2 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

6 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 fulfills   

v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的第三人称单数 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束

参考例句：

• He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
• His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句

9 overtures   

n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲

参考例句：

• Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句

10 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。