VOA标准英语2009年-Taliban Militants Extend Cease-Fire in Pakistan

Pakistani Taliban militants² in the country's troubled Swat valley say they are indefinitely extending a cease-fire with the government. Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah is expected to soon announce the terms of the cease-fire.

Residents of Swat valley have welcomed an end to months of heavy fighting between an estimated 3,000 militants and more than 10,000 Pakistani troops.

A 24-year-old student from Swat's Kanju village, who declined to be identified because the situation is still tense, tells VOA that private schools for both boys and girls near him have reopened and people are again shopping in the markets. He says public schools should reopen next week after the end of winter break.

"The situation is not perfect like the past. But the people are satisfied - the people have suffered so much death they consider this situation a blessing⁴. There are still kidnappings and murders going on, but the situation will be soon better inshallah."

In recent months Taliban militants had taken control of much of the valley, killing⁵ outspoken⁶ residents and blowing up schools accused of serving as army outposts.

While locals have praised the lull³ in fighting, it remains⁷ unclear how the proposed agreement could change their lives or if it will successfully put an end to hostilities⁸.

The tentative agreement, orchestrated by militant¹ leader Sufi Muhammed, recommends fundamental changes in the justice system of the Malakand region in the North-West Frontier Province where Swat is located. The government would sanction courts that carry out proceedings⁹ in accordance with Islamic law.

Sufi Muhammad has long advocated implementing¹⁰ strict Islamic codes, called Sharia, in Pakistan. Other militant groups in the northwest have opposed education for girls, but the current proposal appears to mainly focus on changing the justice system.

Some analysts¹¹ have worried the agreement could implicitly¹² sanction the Taliban's takeover of Swat, further expanding Taliban-held territory in Pakistan's embattled northwest.

Former chief secretary of the North West Frontier Province Khalid Aziz says the proposed agreement has a slightly better chance of succeeding than a similar one that failed to stop fighting in Swat last May.

He says that is mainly because Sufi Muhammed, who is acting¹³ as the broker¹⁴ in the talks, carries significant authority among militants.

"This agreement has a better potential than the last one," Aziz said. "However, we have already had some interventions¹⁵, which shows the militants have as yet not accepted the authority of Sufi Muhammed completely."

Aziz cited the shooting of a Pakistan journalist last week and the brief detention¹⁶ of the new top government official to Swat by Taliban fighters as evidence that Maulana Fazlullah's fighters may still be reluctant to halt their offensive.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 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。

3 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

4 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

5 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。

6 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

7 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。

8 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

9 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

10 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 implicitly   

adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地

参考例句：

• Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。
• I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

15 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

16 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。