VOA标准英语2008年-Istanbul Hit by Deadly Bombings

On Sunday night at least 17 people were killed and over 150 injured in two deadly bombings in Turkey's largest city Istanbul. The attacks took place in a residential¹ district of western Istanbul. The bombings occurred as Turkey is in the midst of a political crisis involving the the ruling AKP Party. Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul.

The attack started around 10:00 p.m. local time, when a small explosion occurred in the Gungoren district of Istanbul. The area was packed with people taking a traditional late evening walk after a hot summer day. The explosion saw people rush to help the injured. According to eyewitnesses² there was then a second much more powerful explosion causing death and destruction on a massive scale, as one witness
explains.

"I saw lots of dead people , and lots of injured people , that was terrible," said the witness. "I can't say anything just bodies all around and injured people. that was terrible."

Local hospitals were overwhelmed with the casualties and an urgent appeal has been put out for blood donors³. Many of those injured are in critical condition. Turkey's President Abdullah Gul condemned⁴ the attack saying no goals can be achieved by terrorism and these attacks show how inhumane the instigators are.

According to local TV reports, quoting security officers, the bombings have the hallmark of the Kurdish separatist group the PKK. The same source also said security forces had been bracing⁵ themselves for a bombing campaign by the separatists. Two years ago a splinter group of the PKK known as the Kurdistan freedom falcons⁶ or Tak was responsible for a series of fatal bombings in Istanbul and some of Turkey's main tourist resorts.

The PKK, which has been fighting the Turkish state for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast for more than 20 years, has been under intense pressure in the last few months from the Turkish army. On Sunday Turkish jets struck numerous rebel targets in northern Iraq. Dozens of rebels have also been killed in Turkey in recent weeks.

But the PKK is not the only group under suspicion, radical⁷ Islamic and far left organizations have also carried out bombings in recent years. The Minister of Interior Besir Atalay, speaking at the scene, said the government wouldn't bow to terrorism.

"We have lost many of our citizens today but our fight against this merciless terrorism will continue," he said. "No one can intimidate⁸ us. We are determined⁹ to bring all those responsible to justice."

Security forces are now under intense pressure to find the bombers¹⁰. The attacks will inevitably¹¹ fuel rising political tensions in the country. Turkey's constitutional court on Monday starts deliberating a case calling for the closure of the ruling, Islamic-rooted, Justice and Development Party or AKP. The party is accused of undermining the secular¹² state. A verdict is expected in three to 10 days.

1 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

2 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

3 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

6 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

12 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。