VOA标准英语2010年-Obama's Personal Ties to Indonesia Imp

U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Indonesia and Australia has been postponed¹ a few days. But it is still generating excitement, particularly in Indonesia. Many Indonesians see the U.S. president as a native son because his mother married an Indonesian and because he lived in Jakarta as young boy. Indonesian officials and supporters hope that Mr. Obama's upcoming state visit will translate the president's personal popularity into improved diplomatic relations.

At the Besuki Public School in Jakarta, eight year old student Chavielda Najma and classmates are rehearsing a dance number they hope to perform for the school's most famous alumni.

She says she likes President Obama very much because he was very good in social sciences.

She, like many Indonesians, feels a personal connection with the U.S. president because he spent part of his childhood years living in Jakarta and attending this school. There is even a statue of him at the entrance to the school. The statue was originally erected³ at a nearby park but was moved when some people complained that an Indonesian hero should be honored there instead.

Still, political analyst⁴ Wimar Witoelar says President Obama is quite popular in Indonesia because most people believe the president understands Indonesian culture and values. "We have a predominately Muslim population and we like to think of ourselves as going on the pluralistic road and he readily accepts and understands that. We don't have to explain that we are Muslims yet not terrorists," he said. "He understands exactly that concept."

Some of Mr. Obama's friends and supporters, like his retired⁵ former teacher Effendi, hope this mutual⁶ affection will translate into closer ties between the two countries.

He says he would tell the president to not forget Indonesia and make relations with the United States better and better.

With the peaceful re-election last June of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia is seen by many as an emerging power in Southeast Asia, with a developing pluralistic democracy and a stable economy. While it has made great strides to reduce the threat from Islamic extremists, the country suffered a terrorist attack last year that killed seven people.

Indonesian women protest US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, 14 Mar² 2010.

Some Indonesian Islamic groups are planning to protest President Obama's visit, saying his policies toward the Muslim world are no different than his predecessors⁷. But authorities say the protests will be relatively⁸ small and will not derail the bilateral⁹ meetings.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a number of issues, including the possibility of U.S. payments to Indonesia to stop the burning of it forests, which experts say contributes to global warming.

Indonesian special forces have conducted training exercises to respond to any terrorist threat during the visit. Despite concerns about the Indonesian military's past human rights record, the United States is likely to resume military training of Indonesian special forces.

But Dino Patti Djalal, President Yudhoyono's advisor¹⁰ for international affairs, says the real achievement of the visit will most likely be in re-establishing a diplomatic tone of mutual respect. "We have to be less sensitive to every single thing that is said in Washington. In the same way that Washington needs to be less sensitive about every single thing that is said by politicians in Indonesia. You know it is part of democracy and much of it is just noise really," Djalal said.

While President Obama's homecoming will be short, both sides want to use the visit to reinforce the idea that Indonesians have a friend in the White House.
 

1 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 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。

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。