English Quiz 168

(English Quiz 168)

1. The responsibility for these health problems is less clear. In low-lying Quang Ngai province, south of Da Nang, where the spraying of Agent Orange was especially heavy, there are almost 15,000 residents officially classified by the Vietnamese government as dioxin victims. We also went to Thai Binh province, along the northern coast. Although it is far from the sprayed areas, a large proportion of its male population fought in the war, and there is a high incidence of birth defects in subsequent generations there. Scientists have not been able to prove a direct link between Agent Orange and the disabilities, and attempts by American and Vietnamese officials to come to a consensus have not succeeded. Indeed, efforts to resolve the issue will remain paralyzed if both sides insist on waiting for scientific proof.
Q: 試翻 "Scientists have not been able ... waiting for scientific proof."

2. A practical and sensible resolution is possible. The U.S. should help immediately to contain and then clean up the contaminated sites. After all, we made the mess. Michael Marine, the departing U.S. ambassador in Hanoi, has been able to win a small amount of funding from Washington, supplemented by the Ford Foundation, to start this process. As for the health concerns, there is no need to pin precise blame or liability. They can be addressed as a humanitarian issue rather than as a compensation case. From Thai Binh down to Quang Ngai province, there is a need for rehabilitation centers, health clinics, family counseling, and education for the afflicted children who cannot go to regular schools. Out of both a sense of duty and a spirit of decency, U.S. government aid programs and private philanthropies should step forward to settle this last remaining dispute from the Vietnam War.
Q: 試翻 "Out of both ... from the Vietnam War."

3. Over the past few months, there has been increased public awareness of the issue in the U.S., including a brutally vivid article by Christopher Hitchens and photographer James Nachtwey in last August's Vanity Fair. When President Bush visited Vietnam in November, the joint statement he issued with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet cautiously referred to the need "to address the environmental contamination near former dioxin storage sites" and for "humanitarian assistance ... to Vietnamese with disabilities." Should Congress and the Defense Department choose to get with this program, they could go a long way toward resolving this crucial issue by the time President Triet visits Washington in June. Only then will America finally have closed the last chapter of the Vietnam War and turned its former adversary into a solid strategic ally. And addressing this issue will remind us that living up to our values and showing basic decency is, in fact, the best way to win hearts and minds.
Q: 試翻 "Only then will America ... a solid strategic ally."