美洲－危地马拉：反对美国“贸易协定”的示威游行中两人丧生

 

Guatemala: Two Killed in Protest Against US Trade Pact¹

 

Tensions are rising in Guatemala Tuesday between the government and social organizations as government troops are reported to have opened fire on demonstrators killing² two people in Guatemala's western highlands. Protesters took to the streets for a second day in a row to oppose a free trade accord with the United States.

 

Just a day after anti-free trade agreement protests erupted in violence - when demonstrators and riot police clashed Monday in Guatemala City - violence again has broken out. Organizers said two protestors have been killed and many more injured in the western province of Huehuetengango.

 

They say army soldiers fired on the protestors.

 

Last Thursday, Guatemala's congress ratified⁴ a free trade agreement with the United States, known as CAFTA. Guatemala is the third country - after El Salvador and Honduras - to ratify⁵ the accord.

 

An overwhelming majority of the nation's lawmakers voted for the agreement. They say the accord presents the country with opportunities for economic growth.

 

But labor⁶ unions, some smaller political parties, and peasant and indigenous⁷ organizations say the accord will only exacerbate⁸ poverty and inequality in the region. They have taken to the streets on numerous occasions and in different points around the country to protest the accord.

 

Daniel Pascual is a peasant leader. He says with the protests last week, this one and the more planned for the future, protestors are demonstrating that there is a strong opposition⁹ to the trade agreement. He says, the accord is bad for the Guatemalan people, especially the poor and small farmers.

 

In addition to more protests, accord opponents said they are planning on challenging the ratification¹⁰ of the accord in the nation's courts.

 

For VOA News, this is Catherine Elton in Guatemala City.

 

注释:

tension [5tenFEn] n. 紧张

demonstrator [5demEnstreitE] n. 示威者

highland³ [5hailEnd] n. 高地

accord with 符合

erupt [i5rQpt] vi. 爆发

ratify [5rAtifai] vt. 批准

Salvador [5sAlvEdC:] n. 萨尔瓦多

Honduras [hCn5djuErEs] n. 洪都拉斯

overwhelming majority 压倒多数

indigenous [in5didVinEs] adj. 当地的

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• 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。

3 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

8 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

9 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。

10 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。