2006年VOA标准英语-Nepal's Maoist Insurgents Declare Three-Mo

By Patricia Nunan
Kathmandu
27 April 2006
 
Nepal's Maoist insurgents¹ have declared a unilateral three-month cease-fire.  The move comes a day before parliament is to be reinstated, raising hopes that the rebels and government can work together to end a 10-year-old civil conflict.

------------------------------------------------------

Nepalese army soldiers walk past Prime Minister's office in Kathmandu, Thursday  
  

Maoist leaders say they will refrain from carrying out attacks on Nepalese forces, because they want to give the country a chance at peace.
 
The offer of a three-month cease-fire came as thousands of Nepalis gathered in the capital Kathmandu for a peace rally.  They are celebrating the what many are calling a victory of the pro-democracy movement over King Gyanendra.
 
Earlier this week, King Gyanendra capitulated to opposition² parties and protesters when he agreed to reinstate parliament, which he had dismissed in May 2002.  The move helped spark a political crisis which worsened in February last year, when King Gyanendra seized full control of the government, arresting political opponents and restricting civil liberties.
 
The king justified³ his actions by saying Nepal's bickering⁴ political parties had failed to stop the Maoist insurgency⁵, which has waged a bloody⁶ campaign to oust⁷ the king since 1996. 
 
But his move galvanized the political parties, seven of which formed an alliance and organized wave after wave of anti-government protests.  They culminated⁸ earlier this week with tens of thousands marching in increasingly violent confrontations⁹ with security forces that saw 14 people die.  King Gyanendra conceded, and agreed to reinstate parliament.
 
For some, the offer of a cease-fire by the Maoists has helped turn anger at the king into renewed enthusiasm that Nepal can finally achieve peace.
 
Madhav Kumar Nepal is a leader  in the seven party opposition alliance.
 
"It is a positive response from the Maoists, [a] positive gesture from the Maoists," Nepal said. "So the government should also, from their part, announce a cease-fire - not for three months, but six months."
 
When it meets Friday, parliament is expected to announce plans to hold an election for a new Constituent¹⁰ Assembly - a key demand by both the opposition alliance and the Maoists.

Some think legislators can go further.  Shambhu Thapa is the president of the influential¹¹ Nepal Bar Association. He wants parliament to consider nullifying its terror legislation, which outlaws¹² the Maoists, so that parliament can be used as a forum¹³ for the start of peace talks.
 
"They must come - and parliament should be regarded as a political venue¹⁴, as a political forum to discuss everything," he said.

Still, there is some distrust of the politicians. Many at the peace rally carried banners and signs warning politicians not to resume their bickering or to make the same mistakes of the past.  

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

4 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

7 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

8 culminated   

v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
• The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

10 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。

11 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

12 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

13 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

14 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。