VOA标准英语2012--Alleged Corruption in Washington is a Teaching Moment for Democracies
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十二月)
Alleged 1 Corruption 2 in Washington is a Teaching Moment for Democracies
Last year, Washington D.C.'s mayor Vincent Gray made headlines, when he was arrested for protesting the city's federal district status that denies residents Congressional representation. But when three of his senior aides and two city council members pleaded guilty to felonies for financial wrongdoing, that made even bigger headlines.
For advocates of good governance, it's embarrassing that scandals have erupted just three blocks from the White House. But it also shows that not even advanced democracies are perfect.
Bill Buzenberg with the Center for Public Integrity trains journalists from around the world to hold public officials accountable.
“This exists here. It exists in other countries, and I think in some ways the journalists I talk to are always amazed that, so this is an issue everywhere, and transparency is an issue everywhere, and holding politicians to account is important for citizens everywhere," he said.
The highly-publicized arrest in 1990 of then-Mayor Marion Barry for purchasing and smoking crack cocaine 3 came to symbolize 4 for many the excess and corruption in Washington's city government.
But D.C. City Council member David Catania says there have been relatively 5 few corruption cases in the last decade, and their prosecution 6 is proof that the rule of law is working.
“In the last year we’ve had one member incarcerated 7, and another member on probation 8, essentially 9 house arrest and an ongoing 10 investigation 11 into the mayor of the city. And so I think this is going to be a great lesson for next generation of politicians," he said.
Catania does say Washington may be more vulnerable to corruption because the Democratic Party dominates local politics.
“When you have a one-party system essentially, whether it be a Democratic or Republican one-party system there isn’t the watchdog, the internal kind of check and balance that you have through competition that might exist in a rigorous two-party system. I think that definitely doesn’t help," he said.
Catania says while more independent oversight 12 and transparency is needed, Washington D.C. is no better or worse than any other major city in the U.S..
- It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
- alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为
- The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
- The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
- That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
- Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
- Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
- Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。
- 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。
- The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
- He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。
- They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
- I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白
- The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
- His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。
- Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
- She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
- 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。
- In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
- He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。