2007年VOA标准英语-As Rioting Erupts in Indian City of Agra, Forei

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
29 August 2007

Indian authorities have imposed a curfew in the northern city of Agra after one person was killed and several others injured in violent clashes triggered by a road accident. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, police have closed the famous Taj Mahal monument to tourists.

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Trucks set ablaze by angry residents go up in flames in Agra, India, early Wednesday, 29 Aug 2007

The violence in Agra - home to the world famous Taj Mahal - erupted after four Muslim men were hit by a truck and killed before dawn Wednesday.

The victims were returning home from a religious festival in which Muslims visit graveyards² and pray for the dead.

The angry crowd set fire to at least 20 trucks, including the one involved in the road accident. Television footage showed smoke billowing from the vehicles.

Rampaging mobs also blocked the highway and threw stones at police called in to quell³ the violence. A shoe factory was set on fire. Several policemen and firefighters were among those injured in the violence. The rioting paralyzed the town for many hours.

Agra is located in Uttar Pradesh state. Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary J.N. Chamber⁴ explained how the mayhem began.

He says traffic restrictions⁵ had been imposed to allow a big crowd of Muslims to return from the religious observances, but some trucks were apparently⁶ still allowed to use the road, leading to the fatal accident.

Authorities clamped a curfew on several areas of the town, and shut down schools and colleges as tensions intensified⁷.

Tourists stand in front of Taj Mahal in Agra, 08 Jul 2007

They also closed down the city's most famous landmark⁸ - the Taj Mahal - and advised tourists not to leave their hotels.

Agra was once the seat of the Mughal emperors who ruled the Indian subcontinent from the mid-16th to the mid-19th centuries. Hundreds of foreign tourists visit the city every day to see the 17th century monument built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for the love of his life, Mumtaz Mahal.

1 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

2 graveyards   

墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• "And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

3 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 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。

7 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。