2006年VOA标准英语-Terrorists Claim Execution of Abducted Russian

By Michael Bowman
Washington
25 June 2006

An al-Qaida-linked group says it has executed four Russian Embassy workers, who were abducted¹ earlier this month in Iraq. The terrorist group made the announcement on an Islamist Web site, and posted video footage showing two men beheaded and another fatally shot. Meanwhile, Iraqi officials are attempting to clarify the intent of a government amnesty proposal being made as part of a plan for national reconciliation².

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One of the Russian hostages, who on June 13, 2006 identified himself as Anatoly Smirnov  
  
As Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki presented the plan to parliament, expressions of dismay arose among some U.S. legislators, who wondered whether insurgents⁴ and terrorists who targeted coalition⁵ forces would be included in the amnesty. Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani sought to answer the question on CNN's Late Edition program.

"Not at all," said Hussein Shahristani. "These people are not included in this amnesty. Their place is Iraqi prisons, not negotiating tables."

The minister said the amnesty aims to encourage those who have shunned⁶ Iraq's democratic process to become engaged, not to pardon terrorists who have targeted civilians⁷ and security forces.

Carl Levin  
  
Yet, in Washington, suspicions about the amnesty proposal remain. Michigan Democratic Senator Carl Levin spoke⁸ on Fox News Sunday.

"For heaven's sake, we [the United States] liberated⁹ that country," said Carl Levin. "We got rid of a horrific dictator. We have paid a tremendous price - more than 2,500 Americans have given up their lives. The idea that they [Iraqi officials] should even consider talking about amnesty for people, who have killed people who liberated their country is unconscionable."

Also appearing on the program was Virginia Republican Senator John Warner, who voiced opposition¹⁰ to a blanket amnesty in Iraq. But Warner added that it is not for the United States to dictate¹¹ what Iraq's government may do. He expressed hope that the country's leaders will make an appropriate decision on their own.

Prime Minister al-Maliki's plan envisions an eventual¹² pullout of international forces from Iraq.

In a recent CNN interview, an excerpt¹³ of which was played on Late Edition, Vice¹⁴ President Dick Cheney repeated the Bush administration's strong opposition to setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals¹⁶, as some Democrats¹⁷ have urged.

Dick Cheney  
  
"The worst possible thing we could do is what the Democrats are suggesting," said Dick Cheney. "And no matter how you carve it, you can call it anything you want, but basically it is [amounts to] packing it in [giving up] and going home, validating¹⁸ the theory that Americans do not have the stomach [courage] for this fight."

Illinois Democratic Senator Richard Durbin said the Iraqi prime minister's plan validates¹⁹ what Democrats have been advocating for many months. Durbin spoke on ABC's This Week program.

"This [Iraqi] national unity²⁰ plan calls for beginning the withdrawal¹⁵ of American troops with a timetable," said Richard Durbin. "That is a position now taken by the Iraqi government, by the Iraqi people, by the American people and by the Democrats, 39 out of 45 in the United States Senate. The only ones who disagree, apparently²¹, are the Republican senators."

Meanwhile, The New York Times newspaper is reporting that the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey, has drafted a plan that would sharply reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq by the end of next year, with initial cutbacks beginning in September.

The article says, unnamed U.S. officials stress that any drawdown of America's military presence in Iraq would depend on ground conditions and the ability of Iraqi security forces to operate on their own.

Insurgent³ attacks continued Sunday in Iraq, leaving six dead in Baghdad. A car bomb in Mosul killed two people

1 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 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》

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

12 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

13 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

14 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

15 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

16 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

17 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 validating   

v.证实( validate的现在分词 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• His politics at home were validating his efforts in the hemisphere. 他的国内政策也有效地支持了他对本半球所做的努力。 来自辞典例句
• A number of different experimental approaches have aided in validating the concept. 许多不同的实验方法，有助于确证这种概念。 来自辞典例句

19 validates   

v.证实( validate的第三人称单数 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Other research validates that when it comes to chocolate, type does matter. 其他的研究也证实了不同种类的巧克力确实功效不同。 来自互联网
• Trouble shoots equipment, review and validates data and complete reports. 管理错误描述设备，审查并确认试验数据，完成试验报告。 来自互联网

20 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

21 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。