2007年VOA标准英语-Italians Deploy Massive Force to Protect Visiti

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
07 June 2007

A massive security operation is being organized in Rome for the arrival of U.S. President Bush on Friday evening. Thousands of police officers will be deployed¹ in the city and the air space will be closed as anti-globalization protesters plan to descend² on the city to hold a huge rally. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.

Italian authorities have been preparing extraordinary security measures for the arrival of U.S. President Bush in Rome late Friday. The president is arriving from Poland and is expected to meet with Pope Benedict and Italian authorities on Saturday.

Thousands of security officers are being deployed to patrol the streets in Rome. The airspace will be closed to commercial traffic two hours before the arrival and departure of the president's Air Force One. The Rome airspace will remain closed for the duration of his visit.

Authorities have also decided³ to close schools one day in advance and now many students are likely to take part in a massive anti-Bush and anti-globalization rally planned for Saturday afternoon along the streets of Rome.

Italy's Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said there would be protests against Bush and the United States. He added that he was confident the authorities would be able to face the risks for public order, as a large number of resources were being made available to guarantee security.

Trainloads of people from across Italy are expected to come into the city to voice their opposition⁴ to the continued deployment⁵ by the U.S. forces in Iraq and to Italy's deployment of troops in Afghanistan.

A poster protesting upcoming visit of US President George W. Bush is seen in Rome's Trastevere district, 07 Jun 2007

Organizers of the rally say people will be protesting not only against the United States but also against Italy's military policies.

"The government of Prodi stays in 16 wars in the world, above all in the war in Afghanistan, in the war in Lebanon," said Piero Bernocchi, one of the organizers.

He said protesters are also against the Italian government's increases in military spending and the expansion of a U.S. airbase in the northern Italian city of Vicenza.

Organizers insist they will hold a peaceful demonstration⁶, but Italian authorities say they will be watching carefully to ensure violence does not erupt.

Achille Serra, the prefect or top government official in Rome, said protesters who have their faces covered, or are seen carrying sticks or weapons will be barred from taking part.

Serra has confirmed that the president's stop in Trastevere, a picturesque⁷ neighborhood of narrow streets and alleys⁸ viewed by some as a security risk, would go ahead as planned.

The prefect did not deny that there are difficulties in how to manage security in Trastevere but he said all efforts would be made to ensure that the visit there would take place in the best possible way.

President Bush will be touring the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and take part in a roundtable discussion in the nearby headquarters of the Roman Catholic peace group, the Community of Sant'Egidio, which has mediated⁹ in a number of conflicts in Africa.

Residents of Trastevere have already been warned there will be no parking or driving in the area until the president's visit is over.

1 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。

2 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 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。

5 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

8 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

9 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。