VOA常速英语2008年-Anticipation Builds in Zimbabwe Election Campai

By VOA News
28 March 2008
 

Anticipation¹ is building on the streets of Zimbabwe as two opposition² candidates battle to unseat the country's longtime ruler in Saturday's [March 29] election. One opposition rally attracted 20,000 people, even as President Robert Mugabe pledged he will win his sixth term. The feeling on the ground has been described as "electrifying³" by Zimbabweans, with restrictions⁴ on opposition campaigning eased and more public meetings allowed. A correspondent for VOA, who must remain anonymous⁵ for security reasons, is in Zimbabwe, files this report on the lead-up to elections.

Days before Zimbabwe's national election, young campaigners put up posters for an opposition party's candidates.

The headlines in one of the government-run newspapers proclaim the president's plan to re-instate mandatory⁶ price controls on basic commodities.

And at a campaign rally in Harare, President Robert Mugabe threatens to nationalize British companies. He says, "After the elections we will look into that."

Critics say Mr. Mugabe seeks to deflect⁷ voters attention from an economy reeling under an official inflation rate of 100,000 percent and unemployment that some estimate at 80 percent.

But people working to unseat Mr. Mugabe at the Bulawayo offices of Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, speak of victory. 

Paul Temba Nyathi is an MDC candidate for parliament.

"The average Zimbabwean is a decent human being,” Nyathi said. “We desire freedom, we require solidarity⁸ from the international community. We need people to say to Mugabe: 'What you are doing is unacceptable.'"

Voters will decide Saturday [March 29] who controls the parliament and they will select senators and councilors in a charged electoral climate.  Opposition leaders say they expect hundreds of thousands to go to the polls, anxious for reform.

The 84-year-old Mr. Mugabe, in power for 28 years and seeking a sixth term, faces what could be his toughest challenge.

Twenty-thousand people attended a raucous⁹ rally Sunday for MDC founder¹⁰ Morgan Tsvangirai, who is in the race.

Former ruling party Finance Minister Simba Makoni is also in the race, announcing his challenge early this month.

Member of Parliament David Coltart is a member of MDC, supporting the Makoni faction¹¹ says, "We certainly don't have conditions for a free and fair election. We don't have access to media, there is a lot of covert¹² intimidation¹³ taking place, especially in the rural areas, where food is used as a political weapon."

Mr. Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF Party insist elections will be free and fair.

In a TV address, Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinimasa says that opposition candidates' their accusations¹⁴ of election rigging are false. "That is utter rubbish," he said.

Coltart remains¹⁵ skeptical¹⁶. He says, "Robert Mugabe has already told us that he will arrange for the presidential ballots¹⁷ to be finally collated¹⁸ in a very secretive command center in Harare, and it does appear that he is engage in brazen¹⁹ and rampant²⁰ rigging just to confirm his own election"

Zimbabwe's government says it will not allow any Western journalists into the country to cover the voting.  So many video images, like these, emerging from the country are shot undercover.  

Amnesty International accuses the government of intimidating²¹ and harassing²² those who support the opposition.

Themba Nyathi tells a reporter he fears government retribution should Mr. Mugabe win again. "I think the people have born so much in the past 28 years of ZANU's mis-rule, I just pray and hope that ZANU-PF does not attempt to do what your question implies. I think the consequences would be too grave for anyone to contemplate," Nyathi said.

Still these campaigners spirits remain high as they spread their message - with blaring music and shouted slogans in a nation that has grown accustomed to hardship.

1 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

2 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。

3 electrifying   

v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
• The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

6 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

7 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

8 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

9 raucous   

adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的

参考例句：

• I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
• They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。

10 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

11 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

12 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

13 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

14 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。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

17 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 collated   

v.校对( collate的过去式和过去分词 )；整理；核对；整理（文件或书等）

参考例句：

• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Information was collated from several data centers around the country. 信息从城市四周的几个数据中心得到校对。 来自互联网

19 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

20 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

21 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

22 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句