VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Cracks Down on Activists Ahead of Prot

Authorities in Pakistan have banned protests and rounded up hundreds of lawyers, opposition¹ politicians and other activists³ before a planned rally against the government in the capital. Protesters want to reinstate the country's former Supreme⁴ Court chief justice, and their rallies also could further weaken Pakistan's embattled government.
　
Pakistani police officers beat and arrest a supporter of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif in Multan, Pakistan, 11 Mar⁵ 2009

Prominent human rights activist² Tahira Abdullah was arrested at her home in Islamabad.

"They came very early in the morning just after dawn," said Abdullah. "They came in a huge truck full of police men, plus two police women, plus a plain clothes intelligence agent and a magistrate⁶. They did not serve me any papers. They rang the bell, but I did not open the door. They picked up a brick and started hammering down the kitchen door."

She eventually relented and agreed to go to the police station, where she says she was threatened with a 90-day jail sentence. After local media broadcast news of her detention⁷, she was released.

Officials in Punjab and Sindh insist the crackdown is aimed at preventing violence at the rallies and thwarting⁸ terrorists who may target demonstrators for publicity⁹. Punjab officials said more than 200 people in the province have been arrested.
　
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry waves as he appears at his residence to cheer supporters after his release in Islamabad, 24 Mar 2008

The confrontation¹⁰ between the country's two main political parties has been brewing¹¹ for nearly a year and stems mainly from President Asif Zardari's refusal to reinstate the former Supreme Court chief justice, who was deposed¹² by former president Pervez Musharraf. Political analysts¹³ say former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry could reopen corruption¹⁴ and criminal cases against Asif Zardari.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has long championed Chaudhry's reinstatement, but he stepped up his campaign late last month after the current supreme court, largely seen as sympathetic to Mr. Zardari, banned Sharif and his brother from holding elected office.
　
Nawaz Sharif (file photo)

Since then, the two brothers have held large rallies in their political stronghold in Punjab, where they have urged supporters and even police officers not to obey the country's rulers. Pakistan's interior minister warned Sharif earlier this week that his actions come close to committing treason and he could be arrested if the rallies turn violent.

Sharif dismissed the warning in a demonstration¹⁵ outside Islamabad and urged his supporters to converge¹⁶ on the capital next week.

He says they are threatening me with treason, but he says that is ridiculous because they themselves are rebels who are destroying the country with their policies.

Pakistan's government is struggling to contain worsening violence by al-Qaida and the Taliban and is trying to revive its deteriorating¹⁷ economy.

Meanwhile, gunmen in Peshawar targeted a senior politician of the Awami National Party. Bashir Bilour survived the attack Wednesday, but several people were reported killed.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

6 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 thwarting   

阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The republicans are trying to embarrass the president by thwarting his economic program. 共和党人企图通过阻挠总统的经济计划使其难堪。
• There were too many men resisting his authority thwarting him. 下边对他这个长官心怀不服的，故意作对的，可多着哩。

9 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

10 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

11 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

12 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 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。

15 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。

16 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。

17 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。