VOA标准英语2008年-War of Words Erupts Between India, Pakistan Ove

A war of words has erupted between India and Pakistan over the recent violence that has engulfed¹ Indian Kashmir. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, one more person has been killed in fresh protests that have pitted Muslims versus² Hindus and reignited demands for independence from India in the Himalayan region.
　
Kashmiri Muslims shout pro-freedom slogans as others prepare to carry the body of Tanveer Ahmed Handoo during his funeral after he was shot during a protest in Srinagar, India, 14 Aug 2008

Anti-India protests that turned violent in Indian Kashmir this week have become the focus of bitter exchanges between India and Pakistan.

New Delhi has slammed comments by Pakistani leaders, who have condemned³ what they say are "gross human rights violations⁴" in the region, where more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in demonstrations⁵ in recent days.

Late Wednesday, Pakistan's parliament approved a resolution condemning⁶ the "excessive and brutal⁷" use of force by Indian security forces against Muslim protestors in Indian Kashmir. Pakistani lawmakers also called on the international community and the United Nations to take note of the deteriorating⁸ situation in the region.

Hours later, in a national address, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf criticized what he called the suppression of oppressed people in Kashmir.

Indian foreign ministry⁹ spokesman, Navtej Sarna, says such comments by Pakistani leaders are "deeply objectionable."

"We are witnessing a recurrence¹⁰ of Pakistani rhetoric¹¹ and allegations that are factually wrong and that bear no relationship to reality," said Sarna. "To call for international involvement in the sovereign internal affairs of India is gratuitous¹², illegal, and only reflects a reversion to a mindset that has led to no good consequences for Pakistan in the past."

Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan, has been a flashpoint between the two countries, who have fought two of three wars over the region.

But a peace process begun four years ago had lowered tensions between the rivals, and helped restore calm in Indian Kashmir, which had been wracked by a violent separatist rebellion since 1989.

However, the situation in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley is again volatile¹³. There were civilian¹⁴ casualties on Thursday when security forces opened fire to disperse¹⁵ stone-throwing demonstrators who defied a curfew in Srinagar.

It has been the fourth straight day that the region has witnessed mass protests by Muslims who have been pouring into the streets across the Kashmir valley demanding independence from India.

The protests have snowballed over a plot of land in the Kashmir valley, whose allotment to a Hindu religious trust was canceled following objections by Muslims.

Angry Hindus who dominate the state's Jammu region, launched demonstrations demanding the land back.

The dispute has pitted the Hindus in Jammu versus the Muslims in the Kashmir valley. It has also revived the anti India slogans that used to ring across the valley in the 1990s when the separatist rebellion was at its height.

 

1 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

8 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

11 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

12 gratuitous   

adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的

参考例句：

• His criticism is quite gratuitous.他的批评完全没有根据。
• There's too much crime and gratuitous violence on TV.电视里充斥着犯罪和无端的暴力。

13 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。