2006年VOA标准英语-Bomb Blasts Rock Afghan Capital

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
05 July 2006

Several bomb explosions have hit Afghanistan's capital Kabul, killing¹ one person and wounding more than 40 others, most of them security personnel. The attacks come a day after two blasts injured at least seven people in the city.

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Afghan National Army soldier takes position behind a bus which was hit by a bomb explosion in Kabul, July 5, 2006 
  
Afghan officials say that the targets of Wednesday's bomb attacks in Kabul were buses taking government personnel and security forces to work.

Interior Ministry² spokesman Yousuf Stanezai gave details of the first bombing, which took place in the center of the capital.

"[A] Ministry of Defense³ employees' bus was passing through that area," he said. "The explosives were placed in a pushcart⁴. So when the bus was passing through that area the explosives were exploded and a number of civilian⁵ and military personnel have been injured in that explosion."

Stanezai says a second remote-controlled blast hit a bus carrying workers to the Ministry of Commerce. He says that one person died instantly in that attack and several others were injured.

Police also said a third bomb went off in eastern Kabul, targeting an Afghan army convoy⁶, but no casualties were reported.

Spokesman Stanezai says the terrorist attacks are aimed at destabilizing Afghanistan and efforts to reconstruct the country.

"These are their [terrorists] last attempts to create a kind of fear among the Afghan people," added Stanezai. "But on behalf of the security forces and the government I would like to assure the people of Afghanistan that the terrorists will never succeed."

The capital of Afghanistan is considered relatively⁷ safe and bomb explosions in Kabul are rare. But on Tuesday, two similar attacks wounded several people in the city, where thousands of NATO-led peace troops are helping⁸ Afghan forces to maintain security.

Violence by Taleban insurgents⁹ has surged in Afghanistan this year but most of the attacks have taken place in the south and east of the country. The rise in terrorist activities is being described as the worst since the removal of the Taleban from power in 2001.

In recent weeks, the U.S.-led anti-terror military coalition¹⁰ has killed scores of militants¹¹ in the south and east of the country.

1 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。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 pushcart   

n.手推车

参考例句：

• He peddled fish from a pushcart.他推着手推车沿街卖鱼。
• Children of slum dwellers play under a pushcart in New Delhi,India.印度新德里，贫民窟的孩子们在一辆手推车下玩耍。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

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 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。