voa标准英语2008-Mugabe Ally Wounded in Zimbabwe Shooting

The Zimbabwe government says there has been an attempt on the life of its air force chief, Perence Shiri, who survived the ambush¹ by gunmen who shot him in the hand. The news follows accusations² by the government that the Movement for Democratic Change is training militants³ in neighboring Botswana.

State media reports that Air Marshall Perence Shiri was allegedly shot in the hand while driving to a farm near Harare, which he seized from a white farmer several years ago.

Home affairs minister Kembo Mohadi said the attack appears to be a build-up of terror attacks targeting high-profile people and government officials. He did not provide details.

Crime is on an upswing as Zimbabwe runs out of food and money.

Shiri was in charge of the notorious Fifth Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army in the 1980s when thousands of opposition⁴ supporters, who were also from the minority Ndebele tribe, were murdered on government orders.

He is reported to be in the hospital in stable condition.

The government is accusing the Movement for Democratic Change of training what it calls "bandits" in Botswana, charges denied by the MDC and the Botswana government.

Abductions continue

Meanwhile, abductions in Zimbabwe continue. The latest known to have been kidnapped is Shadreck Manyere, a well-known Harare photojournalist, who was taken Saturday from Norton, a small town about 30 kilometers north of Harare.

His wife says he had gone to Norton to have his vehicle repaired. After her husband's disappearance⁵, she said police came to the couple's house and took away his equipment.

Lawyers looking into Manyere's disappearance and the disappearance of nearly 30 others, say they have no information about the whereabouts of their clients, even though the police have been ordered by the High Court to produce them.

Among those also kidnapped is Zimbabwe Peace Project Director Jestina Mukoko and three of her colleagues. About 23 officials and supporters of the MDC have also been snatched.

Rights groups deem 2008 most violent for Zimbabwe

Human rights monitors say 2008 is proving to be the most violent year during the past 20 in Zimbabwe. Since the March 29 elections at least 200 people have been killed, thousands of MDC supporters injured and their homes destroyed, and an unknown number of informal diamond miners have been attacked by security forces.

Hopes for an inclusive government following the September political agreement signed by the country's main political leaders, have faded. Political analysts⁶ say internal tensions are rising with shortages of food, cash, and an ongoing⁷ cholera⁸ epidemic⁹ that has claimed nearly 1,000 lives since August.

1 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

2 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

3 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。

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 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

9 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。