London Quiet, Riots in Manchester

 　　London was quiet for the first time Tuesday after three straight nights of riots, but violence broke out in the northern city of Manchester.

　　Witnesses say hundreds of rampaging youths smashed windows, looted stores, and burned buildings in Britain's third largest city. More violence was also reported for a second night in Birmingham.

　　But in London, 16,000 police filled the streets. Many storekeepers closed early, and commuters flooded out of the city long before nightfall. Much of the British capital was quiet.

　　Prime Minister David Cameron vowed¹ to restore law and order and and punish those responsible for the violence that left parts London looking like a war zone. Burned out buildings, the charred² skeletons of cars, and glass line the streets. The prime minister called the violence "criminality pure and simple."

　　The London riots left one person dead and 58 hurt, mostly police officers.

　　The violence broke out last week after police shot and killed a 29-year-old father of four in the economically-depressed Tottenham neighborhood.

　　Some reports say the man shot a handgun at police when they stopped his taxicab.

　　But a police investigative report Tuesday says a handgun found at the scene had not been fired. The reason why police shot the victim is still unclear.

　　Tottenham is home to a large number of ethnic³ minorities and has a history of racial tensions. In 1985, a police officer was hacked⁴ to death when Afro-Caribbean youths in a deprived housing estate went on a rampage.

　　Many London residents say the riots were spurred by anger over the gloomy economic situation in north London, including high unemployment and cuts in public services.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。