2007年VOA标准英语-Former Afghan King, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Dies

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
23 July 2007

inauguration1 ceremony honoring him in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president, in Kabul, Afghanistan (File 2004)" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070725/0833370.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Former King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah, left is seen as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai walks towards the inauguration ceremony honoring him in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president, in Kabul, Afghanistan (File 2004)

Afghanistan's former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, has died at the age of 92. Born October 16, 1914, the king ruled Afghanistan for 40 years until he was deposed² in a bloodless coup³ in 1973. After a lengthy⁴ exile, he returned in 2002 to help his war-torn country's new democratic government. VOA's Benjamin Sand reports that the former monarch⁵ will be remembered fondly as the symbol of a simpler, more prosperous and peaceful time in Afghanistan.

To millions of Afghans, Mohammad Zahir Shah represented an almost mystical time, the era just before the Soviet⁶ Union invaded in 1979 and set the country on the path to more than three decades of war and violence.

Former Kabul University professor Abdul Khaliq Fazal says the king was able to reach out to all of the country's factions⁷.

"He was a symbol of unity⁸ in Afghan society," said Fazal. "He is the symbol of bringing different political factions, different religions together and whoever, from whichever religion, language or tribe, they always respected his majesty⁹."

Zahir Shah was born in 1914, in the Afghan capital Kabul. At the time, most of the country's borders were still defined by two of the world's great empires, the British in the south, and the Russian to the north. Afghanistan was a troubled, mostly tribal¹⁰ and largely undeveloped nation.

The king was crowned in 1933 after his father was assassinated¹¹ for his attempts to modernize¹² the country, including providing greater freedom for women. Only 19 when he ascended¹³ the throne, he had spent much of his life overseas, studying in France and traveling through Europe.

In his early years as king his influential¹⁴ uncles overshadowed him. But by the mid-1960's he became more comfortable exercising power and took the lead in reform.

Professor Fazal says perhaps most important was the king's attempt to keep Afghanistan out of the growing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

"Afghanistan was in a very tough time between two superpowers and his majesty was very successful and he kept Afghanistan an independent and non-aligned country," he said.

Foreign aid poured in from both sides of the Iron Curtain, with both Washington and Moscow eager to gain influence.

In 1964 the king oversaw¹⁶ passage of a new constitution, which helped transform Afghan society. For the first time Afghanistan had an independent parliament, open elections and a free press.

The king also took the lead in promoting new rights for women, including the right to vote.

But the latter part of his reign¹⁵ was marred¹⁷ by factionalism and political infighting. The economy suffered amid a nationwide drought. Pashtun tribes along the Pakistan border demanded greater independence.

In 1973, his cousin, Mohammad Daud, seized control of the government while the embattled king was out of the country, forcing him into exile for nearly three decades. He spent most of it in seclusion¹⁸ in a small villa¹⁹ in central Italy.

The coup ushered²⁰ in decades of instability and destruction. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979. The communist government collapsed²¹ in 1992 following the Soviet withdrawal²², leading to years of bloody²³ civil war.

In 1996, the Taleban took power. The Muslim hardliners brought peace, but also imposed a harsh form of Islamic law. Its leaders allowed the terrorist organization al- Qaida to set up its headquarters in Afghanistan.

Throughout that time, the king remained a distant figure, rarely commenting on Afghan politics, spending most of his time either writing his memoirs²⁴ or painting.

The stage was set for his return in 2001. After al-Qaida attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, a U.S.-led invasion drove the Taleban from power.

In 2002, at the age of 87, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan to help open a Loya Jirga, a traditional tribal council convened²⁵ to select a new form of government.

When he reached Kabul the former king told Voice of America it felt very much as if he had never left.

"I found the people of Afghanistan almost unchanged, as far as their attitude and sentiments were concerned regarding me," he said.

Several factions, especially within his own Pashtun ethnic²⁶ group, called for a restoration of the monarchy²⁷. But a democratic form of government was chosen, and Hamid Karzai was chosen to lead it.

Zahir Shah was given the symbolic²⁸ title "father of the nation." He moved into his old palace in Kabul, serving as a largely symbolic advisor²⁹ to the new government.

The former king said the most important thing was for all Afghans to work together to rebuild the war-torn country.

"To bring about different elements of the Afghan society, ethnic, religious, or otherwise, to work together as they used to in the past," he said. "And all efforts should be directed and concentrated on one issue only, the reconstruction³⁰ of our destroyed homeland."

His death comes amid fresh concerns for the country's future. 2006 was the deadliest year in Afghanistan since the Taleban were forced out of power and the Islamist insurgency³¹ has not eased this year.

Zahir Shah leaves Afghanistan much as he left it in 1973, in the grip of factional disarray³², its future uncertain.

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

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 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

12 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

13 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

15 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

16 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

17 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。

18 seclusion   

n.隐遁，隔离

参考例句：

• She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
• I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

19 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

20 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

22 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

23 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

24 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

26 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

27 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

28 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

29 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

30 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

31 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

32 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。