2006年VOA标准英语-US Ambassador Unhurt in Caracas Protest In

By Greg Flakus
Washington
07 April 2006

In Caracas, Venezuela Friday, supporters of President Hugo Chavez threw rocks, eggs and fruit at a vehicle carrying U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield from a stadium where he had donated baseball equipment to a local team. No one was injured in the incident, but the ambassador sees it as an escalation¹ in hostile anti-U.S. actions.

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Ambassador Brownfield was at a baseball stadium in Caracas with a few embassy staff members and his normal security detail when he says a representative of the local city precinct told him he would have to leave. He says the 300 or so people in the stadium were friendly and appreciative² of the donations he had made, but that when he left a large, hostile crowd awaited him outside.

He says they threw mostly eggs, fruit and vegetables at his car and shouted slogans that made clear that they were supporters of President Chavez. Ambassador Brownfield spoke³ to VOA by telephone from the embassy in Caracas.

"Outside, the ladies and gentlemen who were protesting, stoning, egging, tomatoing, and following, identified themselves, at least by their shouts and their screams, as members of the Tupamaros of Caracas," he said. "In Venezuela, the Tupamaros is a clandestine⁴ organization, who describe themselves as urban guerrillas, who describe themselves as supporters of the current government."

After he left the stadium, Ambassador Brownfield says his vehicle and another embassy vehicle traveling with him became stuck in traffic. At that point another group of protesters, all of whom were riding motorcycles, surrounded his vehicle and began pounding it. The motorcyclists followed the embassy vehicles for a few kilometers before breaking off the attack.

The U.S. ambassador says this was not the first time such groups have attacked him. He says this was the third time in as many weeks that he has been targeted by these groups.

Brownfield says he learned later Friday that the Chavez government had expressed concern about the incident and he says he hopes something can be done to prevent future attacks.

"It is my understanding that the Foreign Ministry⁵ has called my office twice, immediately after the event, to find out largely what happened and to express concern and another representative from the office of the vice⁶ president also called to find out what had happened and whether I was alrightm" he said. "I do not think we have yet started any dialogue in terms of how to fix the situation and make sure it does not happen again or to reduce the risk that it would happen again."

Ambassador Brownfield says his visit to the stadium Friday did not have a political motive⁷ and was solely⁸ for the purpose of supporting the local baseball team. He says he has made similar donations to teams all over Venezuela in the past year.

Relations between the United States and Venezuela have soured in recent years and President Chavez has repeatedly accused Washington of trying to undermine his government.

1 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

2 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。

3 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。

4 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。