VOA慢速英语2009年-IN THE NEWS - Pakistan Under Pressure From

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Two weeks of suicide bombings and other attacks have shaken Pakistan. The interior minister says, "The enemy has started a guerrilla war."
　
Pakistani soldiers surround buildings damaged by a suicide bombing in Peshawar Friday

Taliban leaders in Pakistan say the campaign is in reaction to an expected army offensive against militants² in South Waziristan. Militants are launching attacks against government and security targets from bases in tribal³ areas on the border with Afghanistan.

On Thursday, President Obama signed into law a civilian⁴ aid bill for Pakistan. It offers seven and a half billion dollars over five years to improve health, education and security.

But in Pakistan, opposition⁵ parties and the powerful military have strongly criticized the legislation. Last week the military objected to language suggesting that it supported militant¹ groups.

Now, the civilian government in Islamabad says the United States has taken steps to ease Pakistani concerns.

American lawmakers said the language of the aid package could not be changed. But on Wednesday, they told Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Washington that it does not place any conditions on Pakistan.

The United States considers Pakistan an important ally in the global fight against terrorism. One issue related to that fight is how to deal with the growing threat of terrorism from within the United States.

Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation⁶, spoke⁷ last month at a Senate hearing. He said officials have discovered a number of plots in recent months involving "homegrown extremists." He also expressed concern about Americans and other Westerners traveling to Pakistan and Somalia for terrorist training.
　
A police department photo of Najibullah Zazi arriving in New York to face terrorism charges

The government says a suspect arrested last month, Najibullah Zazi, traveled to Pakistan last year to train in weapons and explosives. Officials say he bought materials to build explosive devices and traveled to New York City on September tenth as part of planning for an attack.

Najibullah Zazi denies any link to terrorism. He came to the United States ten years ago and is a legal permanent resident from Afghanistan. He was arrested in Colorado, where he drove an airport bus.

This week, there were reports that he had contact with al-Qaida leadership. Intelligence officials said the head of al-Qaida's operations in Afghanistan used a middleman to communicate with him.

Attorney General Eric Holder⁸ has called the case one of the most serious threats since the attacks of September eleventh, two thousand one.

In another case, federal officials are investigating the disappearances⁹ of more than twenty young Somali men. They were living in the state of Minnesota. They may have joined al-Shabab, an anti-government militia¹⁰ in Somalia tied to al-Qaida.

Shirwa Ahmed was a naturalized American citizen living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He became the first known American suicide bomber¹¹ last October when he blew himself up in Somalia.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Bob Doughty¹².

 

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

9 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

12 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。