2007年VOA标准英语-Tension Mounts as Nigerians Elect State Officia

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
14 April 2007

Nigerians are voting Saturday to elect state governors and legislators, in the first of two-part elections, which will see the emergence¹ of a new president in a week's time. Gilbert daCosta in Abuja reports for VOA that the elections have been overshadowed by concerns about possible voting fraud and violence.

Officials from Independent National Electoral Commission sort out material being taken to polling centers in Lagos, 14 Apr 2007

Most voting centers recorded very high turnouts. However, at several of Nigeria's 120,000 polling centers, voting materials and officials were late arriving.

At the Garki village polling center in Abuja, officials arrived an hour late, and the presiding officer, Joy Egwu, issued stern instructions to the long lines of anxious voters.

"If you come and cause trouble here, we will hand you over to police or security men here," she said.  "So, you behave yourself as an adult and there should be no campaigning here. Officially, voting stops by 3 p.m. If you come after 3 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote. Finally, you have to follow the line. If you are not with your voter cards, you don't have any reason to be here."

At another polling center in Abuja, Mark Azubuike was visibly delighted to be the first to cast his vote, nearly two hours after voting was scheduled to start.
 
He told VOA about his hopes for his country.

"In the last elections [in 2003], we voted, and after voting, for some reasons, it turned out the way it did," he recalled.  "The optimism is that our votes will count this time. We have done our part. I hope for a new set of leaders that will take Nigeria to the next level of development. Generally, we have not moved at the pace we should, given our human and natural resources."
 
Nigeria's state governors are powerful figures, who control vast sums of money handed over to the states each month under the country's system of federal, state and local governments.
 
Violence and controversy² have marred³ almost all of Nigeria's elections since it gained independence from Britain in 1960.

Security forces have been deployed⁴ in very large numbers, in some cases equipped with armored personnel carriers. The streets were empty of cars, as the government enforced a ban on automobile⁵ traffic.
 
Gunmen attacked a police station in the oil city of Port Harcourt Saturday, killing⁶ at least six officers. Three soldiers also were fired upon in a separate incident.
 
In a move to bolster⁷ security, the government announced the closure of Nigeria's land and sea borders for 12 hours Saturday.
 
Presidential elections are scheduled for April 21.

1 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

4 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。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 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。

7 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。