VOA标准英语2009年-Clinton in Northern Ireland for Talks

By VOA News
12 October 2009
 
 
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen in Dublin, 11 Oct 2009 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with Northern Ireland's political leaders in Belfast Monday.

The talks come a day after one of Northern Ireland's deadliest paramilitary groups renounced¹ violence and said its "armed struggle is over."

The Irish National Liberation Army said in a statement Sunday that uniting Northern Ireland with Ireland can be "best achieved through exclusively peaceful political struggle." The statement did not make clear when or if the group will hand over its weapons.

The INLA, a splinter group of the Irish Republican Army, made world headlines in 1979 by killing² British Conservative Party lawmaker Airey Neave with a car bomb on the grounds of Parliament in London. Neave was an aide to Margaret Thatcher³, who became prime minister five weeks later.

The head of the IRA's political wing Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, said the INLA's decision will be welcomed if the group follows through on its pledge.

The Good Friday peace accords in 1998 brought an official end to violence between Catholic and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and the province is now governed by a power-sharing legislature representing all groups.

1 renounced   

v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险