VOA标准英语2010年-Suicide Bombing at Pakistan Shi'ite Ra

A suspected suicide bomber¹ struck a pro-Palestinian rally in southwestern Pakistan, killing² at least 50 people and wounding scores of others.  This was the second major bombing this week, as the country tries to cope with the worst flooding in its history.

 

Several hundred Pakistanis, mostly minority Shi'ite Muslims, were attending the rally in the southwestern city of Quetta to support the Palestinian people.

Witnesses say a suicide bomber detonated explosives shortly after the rally arrived at a busy crossing in the center of the city.

Television pictures showed bodies and victims in blood-soaked clothes crying for help.  Several journalists covering the rally were also wounded. One of them spoke³ to reporters in the city's main hospital.

This reporter said he heard intense gunfire just before the powerful bomb went off, and there were dust clouds and fire around him.

Witnesses say the deadly blast outraged⁴ other participants of the rally, who then attacked nearby shops and burned several vehicles. Police say unknown gunmen at the scene also began firing indiscriminately, causing a number of casualties.

The provincial⁵ home secretary, Akbar Hussain Durrani, tells VOA that strict security measures were put in place ahead of the rally.

"Because it was Friday, and every mosque⁶ and every worship place was guarded, almost 4000 - 5000 people were deployed⁷ in that area of the city," said Durrani.

He says police are investigating the incident, and they are also examining television footage to identify armed men who were firing at people in the surrounding area after the bomb blast.

The attack came just two days after triple suicide blasts left at least 35 people dead in the eastern city of Lahore.  That attack targeted a religious procession of Shi'ite Muslims.  Militants⁹ linked to Taliban and al-Qaida extremist networks claimed responsibility for the bombings.

The rise in militant⁸ attacks comes as Pakistan is trying to cope with the worst floods in its history. The natural disaster has made millions of people homeless and caused billions of dollars of losses to the country's economy.

In his weekly radio address to the nation Friday night, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned¹⁰ the deadly attacks. He said that attacks on religious gatherings¹¹ are further proof that those behind the violence do not believe in any religion.

The prime minister said the violent campaign is designed to destabilize the country, but the nation is determined¹² to defeat terrorism.
 

1 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

2 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。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

5 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

6 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

12 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。