VOA标准英语2011--Iranian Terror Suspect Known in Texas as Mentally Disorganized

Iranian Terror Suspect Known in Texas as Mentally Disorganized

 

Manssor Arbabsiar, the man the U.S. government has charged with taking part in a plot with Iranian government officials to assassinate¹ the Saudi ambassador to the United States, lived for more than two decades in Corpus Christi, Texas, on the Gulf² of Mexico, before moving to a suburb near Austin, the Texas capital, a few years ago.

Sophisticated plotter?

In Austin, few people knew him, while in Corpus Christi, Arbabsiar had several close friends and business associates.

When the news media reported that terror plot suspect Manssor Arbabsiar had once lived in Corpus Christi, The secretary of the South Texas Islamic Society Samir Jifi-Bahlool, winced³. “He is somebody I never met," he said. "He does not represent me or my faith or my community.”

Of area residents who are religious, the overwhelming majority are Christian⁴.

Muslims are few in number, but they have an active, growing community.

This 1996 image provided by the Nueces County Sheriff's Office shows Manssor Arbabsiar.

But Jifi-Bahlool says most Iranians living here seem to be secular⁵ and he says Arbabsiar, from what has been reported, was certainly not religious. “He used to go to the strip joints⁶ and drink regularly and he does not sound like someone who was a devout⁷ Muslim or religious,” he stated.

Most people in this quaint⁸ tourist destination had never heard of Manssor Arbabsiar before his arrest last week.

Mostly known in auto⁹ sales

He was mainly known by people who dealt with him at this used automobile¹⁰ sales lot near downtown.

One of his former business partners, David Tomscha, describes Arbabsiar as a simpleton who failed at even menial tasks. “He would always lose keys; he was always disorganized with the numbers, he might try to sell you a car and say it was a 1989 [model and year] and it might be an '85...I don't know if it was that he was trying to cheat you or that he just could not remember,” said Tomscha.

In spite of his irresponsible nature, Tomscha says Arbabsiar was well liked by most people who knew him here. “He was a nice, likable guy, friendly and easy to get along with.,” he said.

But Tomscha says the lure¹¹ of money may have taken hold of Arbabsiar. “I cannot believe he could set anything up. It could be someone just said 'you go do this and we will give you some money,' but I am sure he is was not the mastermind,” he noted¹².

Most of the other people who knew Arbabsiar agree that the man they knew would not have been capable of carrying out any kind of plot.

1 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 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。

6 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

7 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

8 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

9 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

10 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

11 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。