2006年VOA标准英语-Lebanese Army Patrols Fault Lines Amid Rising T

By Challiss McDonough
Beirut
06 December 2006

The capital of Lebanon is on edge after the angry funeral of a Shi'ite opposition¹ member who was killed during a clash with Sunni pro-government supporters Sunday night. The army has deployed² along Beirut's religious and political fault lines, hoping to keep the two sides apart. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Beirut.

Funeral procession for Ahmed Ali Mahmoud

The army moved armored personnel carriers and metal barricades³ into the street Tuesday afternoon to seal off the the army would be able to keep the peace. "Everything is okay now, with the army present here. Everybody is having confidence in them. And we hope things will be all right," he said.

But not everyone was sure that the army would be able to keep things under control. Shops suddenly closed their doors in mid-afternoon, and residents hung around anxiously watching to see if there would be any more trouble.

Neighborhood resident Mohammad Yassin is concerned that the death of a young Shi'ite opposition member will spark a vicious cycle of escalating⁴ retribution. "You know, it's like a volcano because every party has its own gangs, its own militias⁵. Every action has its reaction. This is what happened in this area," he said.

It was in this neighborhood that Lebanon's political crisis claimed its first life Sunday since the anti-government protests started last week.

Shi'ite protesters from the southern suburbs were returning home after the evening's speeches. They passed in a loud, rowdy convoy⁶ through this Sunni neighborhood, where support for the government is strong. Someone started throwing rocks at them. Car windows were smashed. Security forces moved in to quiet things down. And then the gunfire started, although it is not clear where it came from.

Ahmed Mahmoud, a 21-year-old member of the opposition Amal party, was shot to death. Although it is not clear who killed him, the opposition protesters are accusing the pro-government side of doing it.

Although both the pro- and anti-government sides include different Christian⁷ factions⁸, among Lebanese Muslims, the political divisions tend to fall along sectarian lines. Most Sunnis support the government, and most Shi'ites the opposition.

Yassin is worried that the political differences between the two sides are widening into a sectarian rift⁹ that will be difficult to heal. "You know, and the most dangerous thing is that we are trying to change the political clash, the political conflict into a religious one. This is the most dangerous thing. We are all Muslims, in this area at least," he said.

Each side, government and opposition, is blaming the other for the political crisis, and for the violence. Each side chants slogans implying that God is on its side. Each side's leaders say they want national unity¹¹, but they want it on their terms.

Yassin says the country's political leaders have been pushing their followers¹² to a peak of frustration¹³ and anger, and so he thinks those leaders bear the responsibility for whatever violence their followers commit. "Actually it's not in the hands of the people, it's in the hands of the ones who pushed people to the streets. They know that streets are not a controllable area. Whenever you push anyone to the street, you must hold the responsibilities. But this is for shame, leaders are not holding any responsibility, at all," he said.

His observation is not necessarily a common one, in a country where politics often seems driven by a cult¹⁰ of personality, and where the political spectrum¹⁴ is defined less by policy stances than by loyalty¹⁵ to one's leader.

For now, it seems that the leaders of the two sides are refusing to budge¹⁶, and their supporters are standing¹⁷ with them. A few kilometers from here, thousands of opposition supporters remain camped outside the prime minister's office, demanding his resignation, while inside, the prime minister is vowing¹⁸ not to give in. While that political standoff continues, tensions on the streets of Beirut are growing.

1 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。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

4 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

5 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

6 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

9 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

10 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

11 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

13 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

14 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。

15 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

16 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

17 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

18 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。