2006年VOA标准英语-Joy, Despair, Shock and Hope - All Greet H

By Sonja Pace
Jerusalem
26 January 2006

Initial reactions to the apparent victory by the militant¹ Islamic group Hamas in Wednesday's Palestinian elections run the gamut² from shock and despair to cautious hope and joy. 

Palestinian supporters of Hamas celebrate victory in parliamentary elections, in West Bank town of Ramallah, 26 January 2006   
  
Hamas's rise to power is being widely described as a political earthquake with everyone feeling the tremors³.

For Palestinian officials and Fatah party members there is an overwhelming sense of shock. "We woke up today and the sky was a different color," said Saeb Erekat, long-time Fatah member and peace negotiator.

Palestinian political analyst⁴, Mahdi Abdelhadi of the Jerusalem-based PASSIA policy research center, told VOA the election outcome shows the level of discontent with Fatah.

"The people voted not for Hamas, people voted against Fatah," said Abdelhadi.

While Hamas activists⁵ reveled in their victory, Fatah supporters despaired and at one point a brief scuffle between the two broke out in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

For Israelis it seemed like a nightmare come true. Many were glued to their radios and televisions as events unfolded. Political leaders called urgent meetings to discuss the situation. Some conservative politicians said Israel should never have allowed Hamas to take part in the elections, while some liberals said Israel should have done more to support President Mahmoud Abbas. But there was broad consensus⁶ across the political spectrum⁷ that there could be no relations with Hamas, which is widely considered a terrorist group.

Hamas has been behind numerous deadly attacks against Israelis in recent years and has as part of its charter the aim to destroy Israel.

On Thursday, top Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar did offer to extend the group's truce⁸ with Israel, if Israel would reciprocate⁹.

Israeli Labor¹⁰ Party lawmaker, Ami Ayalon, says there can be no dialogue with Hamas or any chance for peace negotiations¹¹ without fundamental change.

Speaking on Israel radio, Ayalon said Hamas cannot simply change tactics, it must make a real change and recognize Israel's right to exist.

George Bush  
  
The call for Hamas to change has come from many world leaders, including President Bush, who said the group could not be a partner for peace unless it renounces¹² violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.

International election monitors are holding out cautious hope that Hamas might indeed change. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who led an international observer team from his Carter Center in Atlanta and the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, said he hopes Hamas will act "responsibly."

"My hope is that Hamas will take a position [that follows] international standards of responsibility concerning the maintanence of peace that will make it possible for governments to accept them and to communicate and deal with the new [Hamas] government," he said.

President Carter praised the election process, saying from what he could tell it was absolutely free and absolutely fair.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 gamut   

n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识

参考例句：

• The exhibition runs the whole gamut of artistic styles.这次展览包括了所有艺术风格的作品。
• This poem runs the gamut of emotions from despair to joy.这首诗展现了从绝望到喜悦的感情历程。

3 tremors   

震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动

参考例句：

• The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。
• The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

8 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

9 reciprocate   

v.往复运动；互换；回报，酬答

参考例句：

• Although she did not reciprocate his feelings, she did not discourage him.尽管她没有回应他的感情，她也没有使他丧失信心。
• Some day I will reciprocate your kindness to me.总有一天我会报答你对我的恩德。

10 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。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 renounces   

v.声明放弃( renounce的第三人称单数 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• Japan renounces all right, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores. 日本放弃对福尔摩沙（台湾）及澎湖的一切权利，主张（名称）及所有权。 来自互联网
• He renounces Christianity, temporarily straining his relationship with his parents. 他放弃了基督教信仰，从而与父母的关系暂时变得紧张。 来自互联网