2007年VOA标准英语-Violence Mars On-Going Guinea Strike

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
15 January 2007

Tear gas, thrown rocks, and a handful of arrests heated up the scene in Guinea's capital, Conakry, as a nationwide strike against the government entered a second week. Naomi Schwarz reports for VOA from our West Africa Bureau in Dakar.

Dozens of people were arrested after Guinean youths took to the streets in support of striking workers. Several others were wounded by rubber bullets and tear gas when the military intervened to disperse¹ the demonstration².

Maseco Conde, a local journalist, reported on the scene.

There were some rocks thrown, some violence, some tear gas, he said. It is really what he called "a hot day of this general, unlimited³ strike."

The strike, which began last Wednesday, has until now, been largely peaceful. But the Guinean government had earlier banned all public demonstrations⁴.

During a similar strike last year, a student protest turned bloody⁵ when government forces intervened. Shots were fired and more than 20 people died.

The streets are now calm.

There is almost no traffic in Conakry, says journalist Maseco Conde. There are only military vehicles on the roads, and the banks, markets, and gas stations are all closed, he says.

A collective prayer session in front of the National Assembly was called off. The organizers, from the National Council of Civil Society Organizations, cited safety concerns as their reason for canceling.

Meanwhile, the National Council of Guinean Workers, the organization behind the nationwide strike, says it continues to work towards its goals. Union general secretary Radiatou Serah Diallo says the organization is working to comply with a request from President Lansana Conte that it put its demands in writing.

We are working on the letter right now, says Diallo. During a meeting Saturday, union leaders had asked that the ailing⁶ Mr. Conte step down. They say he is out of touch with current hardships.

The strike was also prompted by Mr. Conte's unilateral decision to release, from jail, two of his allies who are being investigated for corruption⁷.

The striking workers have also met with the head of the National Assembly, Aboubacar Sompare, to urge him to invoke⁸ a parliamentary law that allows him to temporarily replace the president if he is incapacitated.

Mr. Conte seized power in a 1984 coup⁹. The president, now in his seventies, is seriously ill and can barely walk. He is rarely seen in public, and speculation¹⁰ about problems surrounding his succession has been rife¹¹.

1 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• 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。

8 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

9 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

10 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

11 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。