VOA常速英语2018--委内瑞拉主教遭政府迫害

As economic and political conditions continue to deteriorate¹ in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro has turned his sights on another target: national Catholic leaders who have raised their voices against the misery² the corrupt³ Maduro government has visited on the Venezuelan people.

由于委内瑞拉的经济情况和政治情况每况愈下，总统尼古拉斯 马杜罗(Nicolas Maduro)将注意力转向了另一个目标：反对马杜罗政府给委内瑞拉人民带来痛苦的国家天主教领袖。

Maduro has called for an investigation⁴ into clergymen who have been critical of the government, claiming they may be guilty of a crime under a law passed in November by the illegitimate National Constituent⁵ Assembly, made up almost exclusively of supporters of President Maduro.

马杜罗下令调查批判政府的牧师，称根据非法国民制宪议会11月通过的一项法律，这些牧师犯有一项罪名，但该法律却将几乎所有支持马德罗总统的人排除在外。

Among other measures, the so-called Constitutional Law against hatred⁶, for peaceful coexistence and tolerance⁷, punishes purveyors of messages of purported⁸ “hate” in broadcast and social media with penalties of up to 20 years in prison; and members of political organizations who spread supposed “hate” must be expelled.

其中一项规定是，这项所谓的宪法反对仇恨，支持和平共存与宽容，所以会惩罚那些在广播和社交媒体上传播所谓“仇恨”信息的人，刑期高达20年；并规定传播“仇恨”信息的政治组织成员必须受到驱逐。

Human Rights Watch described the law as a clear threat to freedom of expression. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said it could generate a strong intimidation⁹ effect incompatible¹⁰ with a democratic society.

人权观察组织认为，该法律明显是对自由言论的威胁。美洲国家间人权委员会表示，该法律可能会产生强烈的恐吓作用，而这与民主社会是不兼容的。

Using this law as a weapon against Venezuela's religious leaders is Maduro's latest attempt to silence any opposition¹¹ to his regime.

以这项法律为武器来对抗委内瑞拉的宗教领袖马杜罗湮没反对派声音的最后一招。

In 2017, Venezuelan bishops¹² criticized the dismantling¹³ of constitutional order in the country, and they recently condemned¹⁴ the hastily announced elections Maduro insists must take place in April.

2017年，委内瑞拉几名主教对委内瑞拉宪法秩序的支离破碎进行了批判；最近，他们又谴责马杜罗坚持仓促宣布大选必须在四月进行的做法。

U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley denounced Maduro's call for a criminal investigation of the two Catholic bishops who spoke¹⁵ out against hunger and corruption¹⁶ under the so-called anti-hate law.

美国驻联合国大使妮基 海利(Nikki Haley)谴责马杜罗对两名天主教的主教进行刑事侦查的呼吁，这两名主教只是对现行的所谓“反仇恨法”所造成的饥饿与腐败表示反对。

In a statement, she noted¹⁷ that Maduro's reign¹⁸ of violence, repression¹⁹, corruption and bankruptcy²⁰ continues to punish the Venezuelan people. By targeting religious leaders – who promote peace and provide hope for believers – the regime continues to show that it cares only for preserving its own power and cares nothing about the basic human rights and welfare of its citizens. We continue, Ambassador Haley said, to stand strongly with the Venezuelan people in their battle to restore their democracy in the face of a brutal²¹ dictator.

在一份声明中，她表示，马杜罗通过暴力、压制、腐败和破产对委内瑞拉人民进行惩罚。通过以宗教领袖为目标——宗教领袖为教徒促进和平、带来希望——马杜罗政权依然表明其在意的只是保住自己的政权，丝毫不关心人民的基本人权和福祉。大使海利表示，我们依然强烈支持委内瑞拉人通过抗争来恢复民主，直面他们残暴的独裁者。

1 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

2 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

3 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 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。

6 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

7 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

8 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

10 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。

11 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。

12 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

13 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

14 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。

15 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。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 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。

18 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

19 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

20 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

21 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。