VOA标准英语2011-US Confident of Successful Referendum Vot

The Obama administration's chief Africa diplomat¹ said Wednesday he believes the independence referendum in southern Sudan, beginning Sunday, will be peaceful and successful. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson is promising² intensive U.S. support for a new southern Sudanese state if voters there choose to secede³.

The Obama administration is increasingly optimistic about a peaceful independence vote, encouraged by, among other things, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's conciliatory visit to the southern capital, Juba, on Tuesday.

In a talk with reporters, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said U.S. apprehension⁴ about the process has given way to an expectation that the crucial vote, capping a peace process that began with the 2005 north-south Comprehensive Peace Accord, will be a success.

"We believe that this event, beginning on January 9th, will in fact go off successfully, that the organization and the diplomatic efforts that have been put into this will lead to a successful referendum," Carson said. "We think that it will reflect the will of the people, that it will occur on time, peacefully and in a well-organized manner."

The United States has shunned⁵ direct contacts with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir because of his international indictment⁶ on war crimes charges in Darfur.

But Carson said U.S. officials are "extraordinarily⁷ pleased" by Mr. al-Bashir's conciliatory visit to Juba Tuesday, during which he stressed again publicly that he will accept the outcome of the vote, and seek a peaceful and beneficial relationship with the people of the south, regardless of how they vote.

Southerners are widely expected to vote to set up their own state. In anticipation⁸ of that, Carson said the United States has in recent months quadrupled its diplomatic presence in Juba, and is prepared to do all it can to help the prospective⁹ new state succeed.

"These are substantial diplomatic investments," Carson added. "Our desire is to see the referendum move forward. And we hope that if the people of southern Sudan choose peace to vote for peace, that we will also as a country help that new nation to succeed, get on its feet and to move forward successfully, economically and politically."

Senior officials here said the United States will have a high-profile presence in Sudan for the seven-day voting period beginning Sunday.

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and Sudan diplomatic troubleshooter Princeton Lyman are already there. They are to be joined by U.S. Sudan envoy¹⁰ Scott Gration, who leaves Washington late Thursday with a team of officials including the newly-named senior U.S. adviser for Darfur, Dane Smith

1 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。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

4 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

5 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

7 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

8 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

9 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

10 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。