2007年VOA标准英语-Guineans Suffer Under Military Rule While Strik

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
22 February 2007

Union leaders in Guinea are pursuing a strike that began in early January, demanding that long-time President Lansane Conte name a consensus¹ prime minister. Meanwhile, the government is maintaining a state of emergency the president says is needed to prevent a civil war. Meanwhile, Guineans in the capital, Conakry, say they are suffering under military rule. VOA's Nico Colombant has more from Dakar, with on the scene reporting by Tatiana Mossot in Conakry.

Soldiers man a checkpoint separating the city center from the suburbs in Conakry, Guinea, 20 Feb 2007

Helicopters hover² in the sky.

Soldiers patrol neighborhoods of the capital.

The head of the army appears on state television telling citizens what they can and cannot do.

Residents in courtyards, like More Kamara, his right eye gashed³, tell horror stories. He says, a group of soldiers bashed his eye with their riffle butts⁴ when he was trying to get water from an outdoor pump at night, violating the curfew. He says soldiers do not seem to be in Guinea to protect the people anymore, but to protect the interests of President Conte and his government.

Human Rights Watch says security forces have committed numerous abuses, including beating and shooting people and rape⁵.

The top union leader, Radiatou Serah Diallo, accuses soldiers of raping⁶ women at night, and says this must stop. She says the government needs to make more effort and to show more compassion⁷ to put an end to the crisis.

More than 100 people have been killed in the unrest, while many more have been wounded.

At this ward⁸ at the main hospital, a wounded young man, who prefers to remain unnamed, says Guineans want change. He says they are tired of poverty and crumbling⁹ government services, and that is why they are protesting. He was shot through the leg into his knee. He says he is ready to sacrifice himself for the future of his country.

If Mr. Conte does not leave power, he says, he will go back out on the streets to protest.

Small markets are starting to reopen, but prices for basic goods have gone up.

Mediators from the regional grouping ECOWAS are preparing to send a new team to Conakry, while the United Nations is also trying to prepare a mission to help defuse tensions.

For these young Guineans, toiling¹⁰ around a destroyed gas station, it seems the strike has caused more hardship and more deterioration¹¹.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

3 gashed   

v.划伤，割破( gash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He gashed his hand on a sharp piece of rock. 他的手在一块尖石头上划了一个大口子。
• He gashed his arm on a piece of broken glass. 他的胳膊被玻璃碎片划了一个大口子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 butts   

笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
• The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。

5 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

6 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

7 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

10 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

11 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。