VOA常速英语2007年-Hundreds of Thousands Attend Emotional Funeral

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
28 December 2007

Pakistan's assassinated¹ former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest next to her father in the family grave on Friday, but there is no let-up in country-wide violent street protests triggered by her killing². VOA's Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.

Hundreds of thousands of emotionally charged supporters attended the funeral of the 54-year-old slain³ politician in the southern town of Larkana in Sindh province, Bhutto's political stronghold.

She was killed as she was leaving an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi near the Pakistani capital on Thursday. Her death has plunged⁴ the country into one of its worst crises in its 60-year history.

Pakistani authorities say there are signs the al-Qaida terror network was behind her assassination⁵.

Interior Ministry⁶ spokesman Javed Cheema gave more details at a news conference Friday night in the Pakistani capital.

 

"She was on the hit-list of al-Qaida," said Cheema. "We have intelligence intercepts⁸ indicating that al-Qaida leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination. We just have an intelligence intercept⁷ in which Baitullah Mehsud has congratulated his people for carrying out this cowardly act."

The fugitive⁹ extremist leader is one of Pakistan's most wanted men, and is based in the Waziristan tribal¹⁰ regions near the Afghan border.

The Interior Ministry spokesman also said that Mehsud was behind a suicide bomb attack on Ms. Bhutto October 18 in Karachi, hours after she returned to the country from eight years of exile. That attack killed 140 people.

Cheema also rejected earlier reports that Ms. Bhutto died of bullet wounds or was hit by shrapnel from the blast of the suicide bomber¹¹ near her convoy¹². He says the politician was killed when the force of the explosion crashed her head against a lever on the sun-roof of her vehicle.

Some of the protests over her death have turned violent, and spokesman Cheema warned protesters against hurting people or damaging property.

"We would sternly deal with those elements who are trying to create disorder¹³ in the society," said Cheema. "The army has already been deployed¹⁴ in parts of Karachi where they are trying to maintain law and order."

In the province of Sindh, paramilitary forces have been ordered to shoot violent protesters on sight.

The violence has claimed a number of lives, and protesters have torched scores of official buildings and cars, and there are fears the turmoil¹⁵ could lead to postponement¹⁷ of the January polls.

But Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro dismissed those fears, saying the government has no immediate¹⁸ plan to postpone¹⁶ the January 8 election.

President Musharraf has condemned¹⁹ the killing as a terrorist act, and has declared three days of national mourning. Ms. Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, and her three children arrived early Friday from Dubai to attend the funeral.

In addition to the funeral in Sindh, funeral prayer services were held across the country, including Islamabad.

Ms. Bhutto, the daughter of the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had served twice as the country's prime minister. She had spent the past several years in exile after she had been charged with corruption²⁰. She returned two months ago to campaign in next month's election.

1 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

6 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。

7 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

8 intercepts   

（数学）截距( intercept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It intercepts a portion of the light impinging on the photocell. 它遮住一部分照射在光电管上的光。
• The pelletfilter intercepts the particulate matter. 颗粒过滤器将颗粒物进行拦截。

9 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 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。

12 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。

13 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

14 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。

15 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

16 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

17 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。

18 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

19 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。

20 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。