VOA标准英语2009-Assassinations Roil Russia's Caucasus Region

The deputy head of Ingushetia's Supreme¹ Court has been shot dead in the latest incident of violence to hit Russia's troubled Caucasus region. The assassination² of Justice Aza Gazgireeva follows a recent high profile killing³ in neighboring Dagestan, where Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has warned that poverty, unemployment, and massive corruption⁴ are undermining government authority.
　
Dmitri Medvedev

Deputy Chief Justice of Ingushetia's Supreme Court, Aza Gazgireeva, was killed after gunmen opened fire on her chauffer-driven van in the republic's biggest city, Nazran. Russian TV reports say one of the assassin's then walked up to Gazgireeva's body and shot her in the head. At least five other people were injured in the attack, including a one-year-old child.

Ingushetia's Deputy Interior Minister Valery Zhernov called the attack particularly brazen⁵ and brutal⁶.

The police official says an investigative team has been organized, leadership has met, and all possible steps are being taken [to find the killers]. Zhernov says material evidence has been found on the scene that will help solve the crime.

Gazgireeva's death comes 18 months after her predecessor⁷ on the court was also shot. On Friday, the Interior Minister of neighboring Dagestan was gunned down by a sniper during a wedding. On Tuesday, two Dagestani police officers were killed in separate incidents just hours after Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited the republic in response to growing violence in the Caucasus. He traveled with his entire National Security Council. The Russian leader says problems in the Caucasus region are systemic.

Mr. Medvedev says those problems are persistent⁸ poverty, a very high unemployment level, and massive, even fantastic levels of corruption. He adds that systemic deformation⁹ of government of a regional level not only impacts its effectiveness, but is accompanied by loss of trust in authority.

Mr. Medvedev says other elements of the Caucasus problem include over-reliance on federal subsidies¹⁰ that has stifled¹¹ business development, foreign Muslim extremists, and drug trafficking.

Sergei Arutunyan, Caucasus expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told VOA the Kremlin must take active measures to the prevent loss of its southern republics.

Arutunyan says if Moscow continually fails to establish the rule of law, fails to root out corruption, fails to support a middle class and small entrepreneurs, fails to create jobs and education opportunities and to provide money for the people, then Russia will lose the Caucasus.

Arutunyan says the Kremlin appears either unwilling¹² or unable to take the steps needed to solve problems in the Caucasus. Other Caucasus experts in Russia have issued similar warnings.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

3 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。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 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。

6 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。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

9 deformation   

n.形状损坏；变形；畸形

参考例句：

• The deformation frequencies are not sufficiently distinctive.其变形频率不是十分明显的。
• The calculated deformation is almost equal to the real situation by measurement.经检测，计算变形量与实际情况基本一致。

10 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

12 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。