2006年VOA标准英语-Suicide Attack in Pakistan Kills US Diplom

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
02 March 2006

A suicide car bomber¹ outside the U.S. Consulate² in southern Pakistan has killed at least three people, including an American diplomat³.  More than 50 people were injured.  President Bush, scheduled to visit Pakistan later this week, vowed⁴ the deadly attack will not force a change in his plans.

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Paramilitary troops cordon⁵ off site of bomb blasts outside U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Thursday   
  

President Bush took time during a joint⁶ press conference with the Indian prime minister in New Delhi to give his response to the bomb attack in Karachi.

"Terrorists and killers⁷ are not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan," Mr. Bush said.

The president heads to Pakistan late Friday for a series of meetings with President Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror.

The bomb ripped through a parking area reserved for an American hotel, around 20 meters from the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.

Local police chief Niaz Sadiqui says the initial investigation⁸ suggests the attacker rammed⁹ his car into a U.S. vehicle as it turned into the heavily guarded consulate.

"The suicide bomber has also been killed in this act.  We have positive clues on which we are working to determine the hands behind this criminal and terrorist activity," he said.

President Bush confirmed the attack had killed at least one American.

"We have lost at least one U.S. citizen in the bombing, a foreign service officer, and I send our country's deepest condolences to that person's loved ones and family," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Bush also expressed condolences on the death of several Pakistanis in the blast.  U.S. officials say a Pakistani national employed at the consulate was among the dead.

In a written statement, the Pakistan government sharply condemned¹⁰ the attack and expressed "deep sadness" over the loss of life.

A similar car bombing killed more than a dozen people outside the same U.S. consulate in 2002.  In 2004, police defused a bomb near the consulate just moments before it was timed to explode.

The port city is considered a regional hub for militant¹¹ groups and Islamic extremists.

1 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

2 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

5 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 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。