2007年VOA标准英语-Three Years After Madrid Terrorist Attacks, Eur

By Sonja Pace
London
09 March 2007

Three years ago Sunday, Islamic terrorists carried out a series of coordinated² bombings on commuter³ trains in Madrid, killing⁴ 191 people and injuring nearly 1,800 others. For Europeans, it was a wake-up call that al-Qaida-linked operations had reached the midst of Europe and as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London, it is a lesson Europeans are still grappling with.

 
Rescue workers cover up bodies alongside bomb-damaged passenger train, following a number of explosions in Madrid, 11 Mar¹ 2004
It was the peak of Madrid's morning rush hour as the usual crowds converged⁵ on train stations for the ride to work. Suddenly, within minutes a series of explosions went off on four commuter trains.

It was a Thursday morning, March 11, 2004. The Spanish government was quick to blame the Basque separatist group ETA, but terrorism experts generally agree, the bombings had the telltale signs of an al-Qaida-like operation.

Spanish terrorism expert, Professor Fernando Reinares of Madrid's el Cano Center for International and Strategic Studies tells VOA there is little doubt who was behind the attack.

"In my opinion, it is very clear that this was an act of international terrorism that individuals inspired by and also linked to al-Qaida are those to blame for the Madrid bombings," he said.

The government's handling of the immediate⁶ aftermath of the bombing influenced national elections just three days later. The opposition⁷ Socialist⁸ Party won power and moved quickly to fulfill⁹ its campaign pledge to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq - events seized upon by al-Qaida as a major victory.

Nearly one month after the bombings, Spanish police tracked key suspects to an apartment south of Madrid, where seven of the suspects died in an apparent suicide explosion during the raid. Twenty-nine people, mostly Moroccans, have been accused of various roles in the bombings.

The Madrid bombings had wider implications for Europe as a whole, says Professor Paul Wilkinson of St. Andrews University in Scotland.

"It was a highly significant attack because it showed that the al-Qaida network was capable of launching a mass killing attack in the capital city of a major European Union country," he said.

Wilkinson says the attack served as a catalyst¹⁰ for closer international cooperation, especially in gathering¹¹ intelligence on al-Qaida and like-minded extremist groups.

 
Bouquet of flowers were left outside Kings Cross station following the 7 July bomb explosions in London
But, other bombings would follow, such as on London subway trains and a double-decker bus July 7, 2005. Four young local Muslims blew themselves up in those attacks and there was much talk of a new "homegrown" Islamic extremist threat. But, says Wilkinson, even then there were links to extremists in Pakistan and the broader extremist cause.

"It's quite clear that al-Qaida wanted to claim ownership of the attack [July 7] and the people who were carrying out the bombings wanted to identify themselves with the al-Qaida global jihad, as they call it," he said.

Last November Britain's top domestic intelligence chief said authorities were tracking some 30 active terrorist plots, including some with clear links to al-Qaida. MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller warned that young British Muslims are being recruited to extremist causes at an alarming rate and she predicted the extremist threat would be around for at least a generation.

In Madrid, Professor Fernando Reinares says an opinion survey carried out by the el Cano Institute, shows that even though the Madrid train bombings occurred three years ago, the fear of another terrorist attack remains¹² alive today.

"Since March 11th [2004] well over 80 percent of Spaniards agree that international terrorism is an important threat and nearly half of Spaniards still believe that another attack like the Madrid bombings may well happen in this country," he said.

Twenty-nine men are currently on trial before a Madrid court for various charges linked to the 2004 bombings. Seven suspects face charges of murder and belonging to a terrorist group. The trial is expected to last several months.

1 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。

2 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 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。

8 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

9 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

10 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。