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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The prayers from a Sunni mosque1 carry through the streets of this Baghdad neighborhood ... competing with or, perhaps, complementing2 the prayers from a Shi'ite mosque nearby.
Above both comes the heavy beat of military helicopters, patrolling the city as it prepares to hold elections Sunday.
Baghdad, like much of Iraq, has been driven by sectarian violence, of Shi'ite militias3 killing4 Sunnis, Sunni gangs killing Shi'ites and both killing Christians6. For many voters, Sunday's election is a chance to put the bloodshed behind them.
This Sunni man says religion has no place in politics.
Sunnis, Shi'ites, Christians, Kurds, there's no difference, he says, adding, all of us are Iraqi.
This sense of national identity has been largely missing from Iraq's political scene since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Shi'ites grasped power after decades of repression7 under ousted8 President Saddam Hussein. Sunnis, who boycotted9 the last national election in 2005, were then largely shut out of the political process.
This time, there are no boycotts10, and alliances are cutting across sectarian lines.
Former national security advisor11 and Iraqi National Alliance member Moawafak al-Rubaie is among the many politicians running on a campaign of inclusiveness.
"I believe the Iraq people by nature reject extremism, whether it is religious, sectarian, ethnic12 or even ideological13. They tend to come to the middle," al-Rubaie said. "They learned the trick of compromises. They are more moderate and centrist."
Not everyone is so optimistic about the prospects14 for immediate15, peaceful coexistence.
One Christian5 woman said it was too dangerous for her to speak out about the threats she and her family face. She adds that it is worse for her relatives in the northern city of Mosul, but even in Baghdad she is worried about being murdered for her beliefs.
The north also holds one of the biggest ethnic threats to national unity16 – Kurdistan. Any coalition17 government will likely have to include Kurdish politicians, and no one knows what bargaining chips, including greater autonomy – will be needed to guarantee their support.
Adding to the fault lines of religion and ethnicity is also gender18. The government has tried to address the question of equality with a quota19 system – at least 25 percent of each party's candidates must be women.
It's welcome news to some women who felt the rise of religious extremists was threatening to set back women's civic20 and human rights.
This middle-aged21 shopkeeper says she is pleased there will be more female lawmakers, for she believes they will be more likely to stand up for issues concerning women.
But like many voters, she places religion, ethnicity, even gender, lower on her list of priorities.
For her, the key is security. Seven years of conflict have taken their toll22. And in a city that has seen its infrastructure23 largely collapse24, she'd like to have the water and electricity services actually work.
1 mosque | |
n.清真寺 | |
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2 complementing | |
补足,补充( complement的现在分词 ); 求反 | |
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3 militias | |
n.民兵组织,民兵( militia的名词复数 ) | |
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4 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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5 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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6 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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7 repression | |
n.镇压,抑制,抑压 | |
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8 ousted | |
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺 | |
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9 boycotted | |
抵制,拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 boycotts | |
(对某事物的)抵制( boycott的名词复数 ) | |
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11 advisor | |
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者 | |
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12 ethnic | |
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的 | |
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13 ideological | |
a.意识形态的 | |
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14 prospects | |
n.希望,前途(恒为复数) | |
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15 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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16 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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17 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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18 gender | |
n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性 | |
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19 quota | |
n.(生产、进出口等的)配额,(移民的)限额 | |
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20 civic | |
adj.城市的,都市的,市民的,公民的 | |
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21 middle-aged | |
adj.中年的 | |
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22 toll | |
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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23 infrastructure | |
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施 | |
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24 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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