VOA标准英语2008年-New Pakistani President Pledges Greater Coopera

The widower¹ of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been sworn in as Pakistan's president, formally returning the country to civilian² rule nearly nine years after Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup³. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad.

Asif Ali Zardari was sworn into office before a crowd that included dozens of Pakistan's political leaders, foreign dignitaries and the three children he fathered with Benazir Bhutto.
　
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, right, waves as his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai looks on at a press conference in Islamabad, 09 Sept. 2008

As he signed the presidential oath, the crowd erupted with cheers praising his deceased wife.

Hours later, the 53-year-old leader addressed his first news conference as president and took the unusual step of inviting⁴ Afghan President Hamid Karzai to join him.

Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan have been tense in the past few years because of the Taliban insurgency⁵ plaguing both countries. Relations recently worsened when the Afghan government accused Pakistan's security and intelligence agencies of plotting attacks inside Afghanistan including an assassination⁶ attempt against President Karzai.

Mr. Karzai said Mr. Zardari's election signaled a new era that gives him hope.

"I found in President Zardari a good will and vision not only for relations between the two countries but for the region - which I have seen for the first time in the leadership of this region," he said.

Mr. Zardari assumes office with the same expanded powers that former President Pervez Musharraf had bestowed⁷ on the presidency⁸, but it is unclear how much influence the new president has over Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence agencies.

Nevertheless, the president said a civilian-led government that had a mandate⁹ from the people would be better able to conduct the war against terrorism.

"Yesterday's war may not have had the people behind it," Mr. Zardari said. "But today's war does have the people of Pakistan - in fact, it has the president of Pakistan, who himself is a victim of terrorism."

U.S. and NATO airstrikes in Afghanistan, and suspected U.S. missile attacks in Pakistan, are routinely blamed for killing¹⁰ innocent civilians¹¹. Mr. Karzai said ending strikes on civilians is essential to maintaining public support for the war.

"The war against terrorism will only be won if we have the people with us," he said. "There is no other way. Therefore, for us to have the people with us, we must avoid civilian casualties."
Mr. Zardari takes office at a time of increased international attention on the war in Afghanistan, and increased worry about Taliban and al-Qaida militants¹² based in Pakistan's lawless tribal¹³ areas. Within Pakistan, he faces daunting¹⁴ economic problems as well as a public that remains¹⁵ suspicious about the influence of billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Pakistan's military and government.

Asif Zardari said that, similar to most countries around the world, Pakistan would continue to accept foreign aid.

"As far as America is concerned - the fact that we are in the eye of the storm, I consider that an opportunity," he said. "I intend to take that and make it a strength. We intend to take the world with us in developing the future of Pakistan and changing the future of our neighbors also."

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States looks forward to working with Mr. Zardari and the Pakistani government on counterterrorism.

 

1 widower   

n.鳏夫

参考例句：

• George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
• Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 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。

4 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

5 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

6 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

7 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 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。

12 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

13 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

14 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。