VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe Constitution Talks Resume After C

Delegates to Zimbabwe's troubled constitutional convention have resumed work, following the violent disruption of events Monday by supporters of President Robert Mugabe.
　
A Zimbabwean policeman tries to stop backer of Pres. Mugabe who disrupted a meeting of Harare's power-sharing government, 13 Jul 2009

The resumption of the conference to discuss a new charter followed a joint¹ press conference by President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in which they condemned² the disruptions.

There was a strong police presence at the Harare conference center when the session re-opened with about 4,000 registered delegates.

Shortly after the session began, a noisy crowd of ZANU-PF women were reprimanded by the chair, Hope Sadza, a prominent academic.

Speakers from political parties and human rights groups presented their views on a bill of rights, local government and the role and responsibilities of traditional leaders.

Movement for Democratic Change legislator Douglas Mwonzora, who is on the parliamentary committee organizing the process, said people needed a new constitution to ensure essential freedoms.

The parties in the unity³ government pledged in last year's global political agreement to draft a new constitution that will go to a referendum next year before new government elections.

One delegate at the conference said many are still uneasy, but most of the war veterans who had been at the forefront of the violence Monday did not turn up when the conference resumed.

Two ZANU-PF ministers accused by Movement for Democratic Change delegates of organizing the disruptions were also not present because they were in a cabinet meeting.

The conference aims to design and appoint committees and assign them to gather information from people around the country about what they want to see in a new constitution.

On Monday, Parliament Speaker Lovemore Moyo, of the Movement for Democratic Change, was hounded from the podium as he made his opening address. Furniture was hurled⁴ around the hall, and he was sprayed with water while ZANU-PF militants⁵ shouted insults at the MDC.

Thousands fled the conference center because they said they feared violence.

Zimbabwe operates under a constitution written in London before independence in 1980. It has been amended⁶ 19 times and invests Mr. Mugabe with extraordinary powers.

A majority of Zimbabweans, led by the then-six-month-old MDC, turned down a new constitution designed by Mr. Mugabe in 2000. Since then there has been ongoing⁷ political turmoil⁸.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 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。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。