VOA标准英语2009年-Demonstrations, Counter Protests Expected

Both the interim¹ government of Honduras and supporters of ousted² President Manuel Zelaya plan demonstrations³ for Tuesday in the Central American nation's capital, Tegucigalpa. This follows a shooting incident on Sunday in which at least one person died and several others were wounded. But most of the country remains⁴ tense, but calm despite of the political division gripping the country.

Speaking in a televised address, interim President Roberto Micheletti on Monday called on citizens to rally Tuesday morning in support of democracy. He said his top priority is the defense⁵ of Honduran democracy.

Mr. Micheletti and other officials who backed the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya a little more than a week ago say the action was legal in that it had been ordered by the Supreme⁶ Court after Mr. Zelaya violated the constitution.

Mr. Zelaya, who maintains he is still the legitimate⁷ president of Honduras and has vowed⁸ to return, is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in Washington. Mr. Micheletti called on Clinton to convince the ousted president to engage in dialogue to end the crisis in his country.

He said Secretary Clinton should understand that the former president violated Honduran law and the Honduran constitution, and that he should be held accountable for his actions.
　
Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya rally to protest for the death of Isis Oved Murillo, killed during clashes with the army and against the military coup⁹, 06 July 2009

Thousands of Zelaya supporters showed up at the Tegucigalpa airport on Sunday to greet him, but authorities did not permit the Venezuelan plane that carried him to land. Later, a confrontation¹⁰ between demonstrators and soldiers guarding the airport resulted in shots being fired. Several people were wounded and at least one person died.

Zelaya supporters condemned¹¹ the military for the shooting. But on Monday Honduran human rights commissioner¹² Ramon Custodio said the caliber¹³ of the bullets found at the scene were not those used by the armed forces.

Zelaya supporters plan to demonstrate on Tuesday and some are calling for acts of civil disobedience to put pressure on the interim government. Pro-Zelaya groups are talking about blocking roads, border crossings and ports to disrupt the economy.

Carlo Canaca, a student protester at a Tegucigalpa university is calling for a complete shutdown of the nation's educational institutions. He said classes would be suspended indefinitely until the Zelaya government is restored.

Some schools reopened on Monday and commercial activity seemed normal in most parts of Tegucigalpa. The main plaza¹⁴ downtown was full of people at lunchtime and local shopping centers were doing brisk business.

While people for and against Mr. Zelaya are passionate¹⁵ in expressing their opinions, many other Hondurans remain on the sidelines, describing what is happening as just a quarrel between politicians that they hope will end soon.

1 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

3 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。

4 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。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 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。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

10 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

11 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。

12 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

13 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

14 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

15 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。