时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(十二月)


英语课

A persistent 1 Taliban militancy 2 is wreaking 3 havoc 4 across the country while a reinvigorated political scandal threatens to bring President Asif Ali Zardari's government to its knees.


Sean Maroney | Islamabad 17 December 2009


 

Photo: AP

Pakistani lawyers celebrate Wednesday's Supreme 5 Court decision in Lahore, Pakistan, 17 Dec 2009


As Pakistani forces intensified 6 anti-terror operations along the Afghan border, Taliban militants 7 brought the fight to the Pakistani people with a wave of suicide bombings and targeted attacks.


Militants have launched coordinated 8 attacks in urban centers across the country.


Peace plan unsuccessful


At the start of 2009, the Pakistani government tried to pursue a peace plan with the Taliban in and around Swat Valley.


But the Taliban broke the terms of the peace deal and advanced to within 60 kilometers of the capital, Islamabad.  There also were reports that the Taliban were committing human rights abuses, including forcing the closure of girls' schools. 


Pakistani Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani said the government had to respond.


 


 

AFP

A Pakistani army soldier stands guard at a checkpoint in the garrison 9 city of Rawalpindi, 05 Dec 2009


"The NWFP [North West Frontier Government] government previously 10 tried to go into a dialogue with the militants, but unfortunately that also failed," he explained.  "So we have no other option but to control the situation through our law-enforcing agencies."


Swat becomes war zone


About 2.5 million people fled the violence.  Swat Valley, which used to be an idyllic 11 holiday spot in South Asia, quickly turned into a war zone.


By mid-2009, the U.S. Special Envoy 12 for the region, Richard Holbrooke, commended Pakistan for making significant gains in Swat and the surrounding districts.


"We have said it before and let me say it again: Afghanistan cannot be stabilized 13 unless Pakistan does its part in its western regions.  And right now, finally, the Pakistani army is engaged in a very significant military offensive against the Taliban," said Holbrooke.


New strategy targets Taliban


But at the same time, the United States and its NATO and Afghan allies began facing a strengthening Taliban insurgency 14 in Afghanistan.  Washington began pressing Islamabad to expand its operations to the Waziristan tribal 15 areas and tackle militants with explicit 16 ties to the other side of the border.


Pakistan agreed, but did not offer any definite timeline.  Critics accused the government of capitulating to U.S. demands and accepting increased U.S. aid that would undermine Pakistan's authority over its military.


But in October, things changed. First, a suicide bomber 17 targeted the U.N. World Food Program headquarters in Islamabad.  Less than a week later, militants launched an audacious assault on the country's army headquarters in neighboring Rawalpindi.  Militants also carried out three separate attacks in one day in Lahore, targeting Pakistan's security forces.


After these attacks, Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas announced the military had launched operations in South Waziristan against Taliban believed to operate exclusively in Pakistan.


"Any kind of instability in this region, or in this area, would radiate or affect instability in the other area," he said.  "Therefore, one always looks forwards to more stability on the other side of the border.  Because if the other side is stable and peaceful, that would transmit stability and peace on our side of the border also."


More progress needed


But the top U.S. military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, tells VOA that Pakistan still needs to expand its operations.  He says Pakistan needs to target Taliban who are believed to have fled Afghanistan to operate in sanctuaries 18 in the North Waziristan tribal region.


"It is those Taliban that are killing 19 Americans.  It is those Taliban that are killing Afghans.  It is those Taliban that are killing coalition 20 forces from our allies, so it is going to take pressure on all extremist groups," noted 21 Admiral Mullen.


Fighting for survival


As the military battles militants in the tribal regions, Pakistan's government fights for its very survival in Islamabad.


International Relations Associate Professor Ishtiaq Ahmad at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, warns of possible political chaos 22 if corruption 23 charges are reopened against those close to the president.


"Political instability is the last thing that can happen in Pakistan because when [a] political crisis occurs, [the] economy goes down," he said. "And these two things are unaffordable when a country is facing a severe terrorist threat."


Uncertain future


Analysts 24 say President Zardari already is making moves to protect his political future by shifting more power to the Parliament.  The Pakistani president recently relinquished 25 some of his powers, including the control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal 26, to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.


As Pakistan enters 2010, it faces a battle on two fronts: against militants and against itself.

 



adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的
  • Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
  • She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤,使她很难为情。
n.warlike behavior or tendency
  • Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发, 斗志昂扬,为实现四个现代化而奋战。
  • The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。
诉诸(武力),施行(暴力),发(脾气)( wreak的现在分词 )
  • Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业,往往会严重破坏周边环境。
  • The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。
n.大破坏,浩劫,大混乱,大杂乱
  • The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
  • This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
  • The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )
  • The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来,反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
  • Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此,巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。
adj.协调的
  • 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
n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防
  • The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
  • The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。
adv.以前,先前(地)
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
adj.质朴宜人的,田园风光的
  • These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
  • Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。
n.使节,使者,代表,公使
  • Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
  • The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。
v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )
  • The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
  • His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.起义;暴动;叛变
  • 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
adj.部族的,种族的
  • He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
  • The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。
adj.详述的,明确的;坦率的;显然的
  • She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
  • He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。
n.轰炸机,投弹手,投掷炸弹者
  • He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
  • Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。
n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 );庇护;圣所;庇护所
  • The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定,须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后,他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
  • 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。
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
adj.著名的,知名的
  • 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。
n.混乱,无秩序
  • After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
  • The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
  • 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。
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
交出,让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 ); 放弃
  • She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
  • The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。
n.兵工厂,军械库
  • Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
  • We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。
标签: region
学英语单词
achaemanid
Alvarez accelerator
azosulfamide
barbecute
Bassfield
biadder worm
brake pressure
bring something up to date
calibrating resistance
cause ill blood
chalchuite
character change
cleaning screen
coking arch
common goal
complementarity
compound motor
conchoid of Nicomedes
confide to sb that...
decreasing term insurance
direct instruction
dump heat test
dyest
eartags
enshelled
epicentral region
equilibrium stability
eupatoria
fardelled
finger-painted
flash point-apparatus
foreheads
foreign exchange holdings
geocomposite
geon (geometric ion)
glenospore disease
goodeniaceaes
Gornaya
goryphus basilaris
hemicorporectomies
hypomecis formosana
immunoneutralisation
injury to auricle
is of interest to
isomere
kucheans
lacerating machine
land leases
layer of ganglion cells
line judges
list up
logical check
look-ahead data staging architecture
lozenge-shapeds
lupus cell
methyleneurea
misbeliever
mounting area
multi-disciplinary
multichannel recording oscillograph
necked-down section
netversion
non-ferromagnetics
non-jacquard machine
normalbacteriolysin
obduratenesses
operating convenience
operational semantics
optimum cure point
orthostatic
overtones
Padumi
paid attention to
plateros
point pitch
Pokrovka
race way grinding machine
reactive golden yellow
receiver of the refrigerator
recorded gap
refined syrup
refrigeration dehumidifying
registerial
reprocessing rate
rolling hatch beam
Romishly
scymnus (neopullus) hoffmanni
shift driving shaft
shiner
sonar beam pattern
spherolite
standard minerals
stereo(regular) rubber
telebooths
tolyl-
total points
transmission, parallel
unclonable
unindents
villanized
warm sludge
xanthochilus