VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Protests Turn Violent in Lahore

Pakistani police clashed in Lahore with protesters opposing the country's year-old government, in the most violent demonstrations² yet in a five-day standoff. Authorities at first tried to disperse³ protesters and arrest top leaders, but as thousands poured into the downtown, police abandoned the confrontation⁴. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is to address the nation Monday, and is expected to announce the reinstatement of the deposed⁵ Supreme⁶ Court chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry to end a political crisis.
　
A Pakistani police officer throws a stone at demonstrators during clashes in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, 15 March 2009

Pakistani security forces largely succeeded in preventing mass demonstrations by political activists⁷ and lawyers earlier this week by blocking roads and arresting hundreds of protest leaders.

Police adopted similar tactics early Sunday in Lahore, surrounding the home of opposition⁸ leader Nawaz Sharif and deploying⁹ scores of officers in riot gear throughout the city.

But Punjab Province is the political stronghold of Sharif's party and hundreds of demonstrators soon faced off against the police. The crowd pelted¹⁰ the security forces with stones and chanted slogans against President Asif Zardari. Police responded by firing tear gas and beating back protesters with batons¹¹.

While the clashes continued, Nawaz Sharif appeared before reporters outside his home, and decried¹² government attempts to stop the demonstrations.

He says the government has turned this country into a police state and this is illegal.

Sharif then said he would defy a three-day house arrest imposed on him and his brother and journey out to meet his supporters.

As Sharif's convoy¹³ drove downtown, thousands of people packed into one of the city's main thoroughfares, cheering the slow moving procession and waving flags and banners. Police largely abandoned the main rally area, but officers continued to staff road blockades outside of the city.

Government officials defended the crackdown, saying they are not opposed to democratic rights, but merely want to maintain security. They said the proper place to debate the restoration of the judiciary is in Pakistan's parliament, not in the streets.

Newly appointed Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira held a news conference in Islamabad that most private Pakistani television networks did not broadcast live.

He says we do not want to have a mob that can turn violent, that is beyond the control of demonstration¹ leaders. He says the government is committed to blocking demonstrations in downtown Islamabad because it cannot tolerate having protesters indefinitely shut down the city center for their political cause.

The thousands of protesters in Lahore are expected to journey 260 kilometers to the capital, Islamabad, for a large rally Monday.

Government officials say they are committed to prevent the protesters from reaching the downtown, where Pakistan's parliament and other government buildings and foreign embassies are located.

Police have laid out large metal shipping¹⁴ containers across most roads into the capital. The army has also committed to deploying troops to sensitive areas if asked by the government.

But political activists and lawyers are vowing¹⁵ they will not abandon their cause.

Senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who was placed under house arrest and then later released on Sunday, said the protests have grown into a nationwide movement to restore the judiciary.

"Now the Long March is for an indefinite period. Everyday there will be marches toward Islamabad. And the day the siege is removed, the day the containers are picked up, there will be hundreds of thousands, millions of people," Ahsan said.

The political gridlock is drawing concern that the protest over the restoration of senior judges could further weaken a government already struggling to deal with the country's faltering¹⁶ economy and a strengthening Taliban insurgency¹⁷.

Suspected Taliban militants¹⁸ attacked a shipping depot¹⁹ outside the northwest city Peshawar. Gunmen used rockets and bombs to destroy at least 20 containers carrying supplies for military forces in Afghanistan.

The key transit²⁰ route from Pakistan's ports to military bases in Afghanistan has been repeatedly attacked in the last year. U.S. and NATO officials are actively²¹ seeking alternative routes for shipping supplies.

1 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。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

4 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。

5 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》

6 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。

7 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》

8 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。

9 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

10 pelted   

（连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮

参考例句：

• The children pelted him with snowballs. 孩子们向他投掷雪球。
• The rain pelted down. 天下着大雨。

11 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

12 decried   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责，说是不起作用。
• The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

14 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

15 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

16 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

17 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

18 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。

19 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

20 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

21 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。