VOA标准英语2012--Demonstrations Planned as Racing Event Heads for Bahrain-英语课

时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(四月)

英语课

Demonstrations 1 Planned as Racing 2 Event Heads for Bahrain

Tear gas and Molotov cocktails 3 rained down on parts of Manama, Bahrain's capital, this week. Opposition 4 members are stepping up their anti-government protests ahead of the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Among them, Dr. Nada Dhaif. She and 19 other medics were sentenced to 15 years in jail for allegedly aiding the demonstrations last year. She has been released pending 5 an appeal and spoke 6 to VOA on the phone from Bahrain.
“We will get the whole media’s attention on Bahrain and then we have the chance to show to the whole world what is the reality. Actually I’m heading now to central Manama to demonstrate there and to protest to free Abdulhadi al-Khawaja,” Dhaif said.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a Bahraini-Danish human rights activist 7, was sentenced to life in prison for trying to topple the monarchy 8. He’s been on a hunger strike for nearly 70 days, and fellow activists 9 say his condition is critical.
London-based human rights group Amnesty International details what it claims are continuing abuses by the Bahrain government.
“Excessive use of force by the security services, they are using a lot of tear gas, and a number of people have died as a result. They are also making arbitrary arrests and also using torture and ill-treatment. We will be seeing a lot of human rights abuses,” said Amnesty's Said Boumedouha.
The Bahrain government denies such accusations 10.
It points to the Independent Commission of Inquiry 11, set up by the monarchy in the wake of last year’s protests. The government insists it is making political reforms and is prosecuting 12 those guilty of rights abuses.
But Amnesty International says only 11 low-ranking officers have been put on trial.
Bahraini activist Doctor Nada Dhaif says the political changes are just cosmetic 13.
“In reality, on the ground, nothing has been changed. There are daily protests going on, there’s daily raiding of the villages, the excessive use of force and the excessive use of tear gas,” Dhaif said.
Most Formula One drivers have stayed silent on the issue. But two-time champion Sebastian Vettel did speak out.
“The latest comment was that we are going to Bahrain to race there. If that's still the call, then I think it's safe enough to go, then we should go there and race and not worry about something that is not our business,” Vettel said.
The sport’s governing body says it is satisfied with the security situation - and insists the race will go ahead as scheduled.

1 demonstrations

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )；表明；表达；游行示威

Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 racing

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 cocktails

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。来自辞典例句
Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。来自辞典例句

4 opposition

n.反对，敌对

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。

5 pending

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

6 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