英语听力精选进阶版 13746

 Voting for God

Summary

27 April 2012

In most countries voting is a human right to be cherished and in a few countries it's even compulsory¹. But is it ever your religious duty? According to Muslim cleric Sheikh Chemseddine Bouroubi it is.

Reporter:

Leana Hosea

Report

"If you do not vote in the upcoming elections God will punish you." That's what Algerians have been told by a prominent Muslim cleric, Sheikh Chemseddine Bouroubi.

Parliamentary elections are being held in May and it's believed many Algerians are going to abstain² from a vote they view as irrelevant³. The authorities are so concerned about a low turnout that the state phone operator has been sending out text messages urging people to cast their ballot⁴. 

Sheikh Bouroubi said Algerians should vote to maintain stability and prevent foreigners from fomenting⁵ revolution. Conditions in Algeria are similar to that in other Arab countries when it comes to widespread poverty, corruption⁶ and high youth unemployment and protests calling for democratic change did take place last year, but they did not turn into a full-scale uprising. 

This vote is being seen as a test of the reforms promised by the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to stem further discontent. He has approved over twenty new political parties and says the country is moving gradually towards democracy.

But Parliament is widely considered a rubber stamp body. Power is concentrated in the president, who has ruled since 1999 and the military has a key role in a country which was until last year under emergency law.

1 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

2 abstain   

v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免

参考例句：

• His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
• Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。

3 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 fomenting   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They accused him of fomenting political unrest. 他们指控他煽动政治动乱。
• Three sailors were fomenting a mutiny on the ship. 三个水手正在船上煽动叛变。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 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。