2007年VOA标准英语-Greece Says 7 More Accused of Starting Forest F

By Nathan Morley
Nicosia
27 August 2007

As forest fires continued to sweep through large areas of Greece, the government, in Athens, announced the arrests of seven more people suspected of starting some of the fires. The blazes have killed at least 63 people since Thursday and destroyed thousands of acres of property and farmland. Greek Prosecutors¹ Consider Calling Wildfires Terrorism. Nathan Morley reports for the VOA that the government suspects more foul² play.

A man looks at blazes burning a mountain next to the village of Theologos in Evia island, 27 Aug 2007

A Greek government spokesman confirmed the arrests, but more suspects are being sought.

The government in Athens has offered a reward of more than $1 million for information leading to the arrests of arsonists⁴. And Dmitris Papangelopoulos, one of the country's leading prosecutors, has ordered an immediate⁵ investigation⁶ into whether arson³ attacks can be considered terrorism.

Local television in Greece is reporting that criminal gangs are seeking to use the fires to clear forests and farmland for new construction. The past few years have seen a dramatic rise in property values and a building boom in Greece, which is popular with European retirees.

Lifelong resident of Artemida village, about 330 kilometers southwest of Athens, reacts to damage caused by fire, 27 Aug 2007

The fires have left thousands of people homeless, in the worst disaster to hit Greece in decades. A villager in a mountainous area of the Peloponnese peninsula, who watched as his home burn to the ground, told reporters he was at the point of despair

He says his livelihood⁷ is destroyed, the wildlife is destroyed, and emergency services have been able to do nothing.

New fires broke out on Monday on the fringes of Athens, with firefighters and airplanes rushing to the suburbs, where flames swept through the brush.

The fires have been fanned by strong, hot winds and parched⁸ grass, and have left a scorched⁹ landscape in their wake. The worst hit areas are in the southern Peloponnese, with evacuation efforts hampered¹⁰ by the refusal of many villagers to leave their homes.

On Sunday, fire came perilously¹¹ close to ancient Olympia, site of the first Olympic games more than 2,000 years ago, but firefighters managed to beat back the flames.

Forest fires are common during Greece's hot, dry summers where temperatures can reach over 40 degrees Celsius¹², but nothing has approached the devastation¹³ of the past week.

After Athens declared a nationwide state of emergency on Saturday, many European Union and Mediterranean¹⁴ countries began sending firefighting aircraft to Greece.

1 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

2 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

3 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

4 arsonists   

n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. 工厂在纵火犯引起的火灾中烧毀了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland said suspected arsonists could face murder charges. 澳大利亚总检察长罗伯特麦克莱兰说，怀疑纵火犯可能面临谋杀指控。 来自互联网

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

8 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

9 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

10 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

11 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

12 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

13 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。