2006年VOA标准英语-Israeli PM Ariel Sharon Battles for His Li

By Jim Teeple
Jeruslame
05 January 2006

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is seen attending a ceremony at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006   
  
Acting¹ Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chaired an emergency meeting of the Israeli cabinet early Thursday, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon battled for his life in a Jerusalem hospital. Mr. Sharon's doctors said early Thursday that a second operation to stabilize² the prime minister has proved initially³ successful.

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Israel sought to convey a message of continuity to its citizens and the world as a special cabinet session was convened⁴ to discuss how Israel will be governed in the absence of Ariel Sharon.

Mr. Sharon suffered a massive stroke and cerebral⁵ hemorrhage late Wednesday and doctors worked for hours to stabilize the 77-year-old prime minister. Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital says Mr. Sharon was sent back for a second surgery early Thursday, and efforts to stop bleeding in his brain have succeeded for the time being.

"After seven hours of surgery he was transferred to the imaging center and a CT scan showed that the bleeding stopped," said Dr. Mor-Yosef. "He has now been transferred to the neurosurgery intensive care unit for evaluation⁶ and treatment."

Dr. Mor-Yosef says however Israel's Prime Minister remains⁷ gravely ill.

"Prime Minister Sharon is in a severe condition," he said. "He is stable. All his signs, blood pressure and pulse are within normal limits, but his condition is severe."

Mr. Sharon was rushed to Hadassah Hospital late Wednesday after complaining of feeling ill at his farm in the Negev Desert. Media reports say during the hour-long ambulance ride to Jerusalem he lapsed⁸ into unconsciousness. His doctors say he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage.

On December 18 Mr. Sharon suffered a minor⁹ stroke and doctors had planned to perform a procedure on Mr. Sharon Thursday to correct a heart defect believed to have led to his initial stroke.

Intensive speculation¹⁰ has already begun about how Mr. Sharon's absence from politics will affect Israel's upcoming election on March 28, and how any future Israeli government will address the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

Asher Arian a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, and a professor at the City University of New York says Israeli politics could splinter in Mr. Sharon's absence.

"There is a fear that politics will shift back to a very unstable¹¹ and business-as-usual kind of bickering¹² over politics," he said. "There will also be a lack of a political giant to pull the groups together in order to govern in an effective manner."

Last November after facing growing discontent in the ruling Likud Party, Mr. Sharon announced he was leaving the party with many key allies to form a new centrist political movement called Kadima or forward. Mr. Sharon's bold political gamble proved to be an overwhelming success, and polls indicated he would easily win a historic third term - a term he said would be devoted¹³ to drawing Israel's final border with the Palestinians.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

5 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

6 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

11 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

12 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。