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| Words in the News
Wednesday 06 February 2002
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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British prime minister urges action on Africa
Summary: The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is going on a five day trip to Africa. He has warned that the West could face new terrorist threats unless African poverty is relieved. This report from Nick Robinson:
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| | The News | |
| | | The warning couldn't be clearer, Africa could be home to the next Afghanistan, says the British Prime Minister, producing another failed state which becomes dependent on drugs and terrorism with consequences felt on the streets of the West. Tony Blair's all too aware that as he sets off on another foreign trip, many in Britain are waiting to mock his missionary zeal and his presidential style. He's seeking to remind people that self-interest, not just altruism, justifies engagement abroad. And this trip's being presented not as a solo effort, but as part of a concerted international initiative leading up to a possible Marshall Plan for Africa to be agreed at a G-8 summit in June. The British Prime Minister talks in terms of a deal - developed countries offering debt relief, trade and aid, plus diplomatic and military support in return for African initiatives to resolve regional conflicts, build strong political and economic institutions and to attract private investment. This is a trip fraught with political risk; expectations in Africa are running high after Mr. Blair memorably described the continent as a scar on the conscience of the world and insisted that the international community could heal it.
Nick Robinson, BBC
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| | The Words
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| | | to mock
to make fun of something or someone
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| | | missionary zeal
great enthusiasm for an idea that makes you want to get other people to support it
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| | | self-interest
the attitude of always wanting to do what is best for yourself rather than for other people
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| | | altruism
thinking of the needs and happiness of other people rather than yourself
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| | | a solo effort
trying to do something alone without other people
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| | | concerted
done by a group of people working together in order to achieve a particular result
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| | | the Marshall Plan
an American plan which gave economic help to rebuild western Europe after the 1939-45 World War
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| | | fraught with
filled with
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| | | expectations in Africa are running high
if expectations are running high, then people are expecting a lot
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| | | a scar
a permanent mark on something
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