VOA标准英语2011--Dozens Killed as Wave of Violence Strike

Dozens Killed as Wave of Violence Strikes Iraq

伊拉克遭遇一系列暴力袭击
A series of explosions and attacks hit cities and towns across Iraq Monday, killing¹ at least 63 people. It was the most violent day in the country in months.
周一，伊拉克多城镇遭遇一系列爆炸和袭击，造成至少63人死亡。这是几个月来伊拉克最为暴力的一天。
Firefighters doused² the smoldering³ wreckage⁴ of vehicles destroyed by several explosions in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf Monday. The explosions were part of a series of attacks across Iraq.
周一，什叶派圣城纳贾夫遭遇几起爆炸袭击，消防人员正在扑灭燃烧的车辆的残骸。这几起爆炸是伊拉克一系列袭击的一部分。
Iraqi army General Othman al Ghanami, who commands the central Euphrates military district, said that Monday's attacks did not come as a surprise:
领导幼发拉底河中部军区的伊拉克陆军将军Othman al Ghanami表示，周一的袭击并不出人意料：
He said that our intelligence led us to believe, after security briefings, that there would be widespread violence, especially since we're expecting [a pilgrimage] at the Imam Ali shrine⁵ which was no doubt a pretext⁶ for the explosions. He added that the developments can probably be attributed to al-Qaida elements present in the area.
他说，我们的情报使我们相信，安全简报过后，一定会发生广泛的暴力活动，尤其是，我们认为Imam Ali神龛的一座清真寺毫无疑问会成为爆炸的借口。他补充说，事态的发展可以归咎于基地组织成员在该地区的出现。
Iraqi officials say back-to-back explosions in the southern town of Kut also left more than 30 dead and dozens wounded. A crowd of onlookers⁷, along with rescue workers who arrived at the scene of the first explosion, were hit by the second, according to a local police commander:
伊拉克官员表示，南部城镇Kut接连发生的爆炸也造成30多人死亡，几十人受伤。第一起爆炸发生后，旁观者和到达现场的救援工作者都遭遇了第二起爆炸袭击。当地一名警方指挥官表示：
He says that there was a double explosion, the first resulting from explosives placed in a vehicle near the scene, attracting a large crowd to see what happened, and those onlookers became victims of the second explosion.
他说，共发生了两次爆炸。第一次是由于附近一辆车发生爆炸，引发许多人来看发生了什么事。结果这些旁观者成为第二起爆炸的受害者。
Workers cleared the rubble⁸ from another explosion that damaged vehicles, homes and businesses in the Baghdad district of Zafaraniya. Several people were killed and more than several dozen were wounded.
巴格达Zafaraniya地区另外一起爆炸摧毁了车辆，住房和企业，工作人员正在清理废墟。这起爆炸造成几人死亡，几十人受伤。
In the north, police say multiple bombings in Diyala province killed at least eight people, while two separate blasts in Kirkuk killed one person and wounded 12 others.
在北方，警方表示，Diyala省几起爆炸造成至少8人死亡，Kirkuk两起独立的爆炸造成1人死亡，12人受伤。
Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris, argues that the violence is a sign of tensions in the lead-up to the planned, U.S. withdrawal⁹ from Iraq at the end of this year:
巴黎大学政治科学教师Khattar Abou Diab辩称，暴力活动是美国计划在今年年底之前全面撤军造成的紧张形势的标志。
He said that the perpetrators of these attacks appear to be trying to send a message that if U.S. troops withdraw [at the end of this year], they will try to make strategic gains [against the government]. He argues that if al-Qaida is involved in these attacks, the next question would be which regional country is manipulating the group.
他说，这些袭击的行凶者似乎努力传达一个信息，如果美国军队在今年年底之前撤出伊拉克，他们将会获得战略性的胜利。他辩称，如果基地组织参与了这些袭击，接下来的问题是，该地区哪一个国家操纵着该组织。
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani condemned¹⁰ Monday's attacks, claiming that they were the result of “political paralysis” and the “unwillingness of political leaders to sit down together to resolve their differences.”
伊拉克总统塔拉巴尼对周一的袭击提出谴责，宣称这是“政治瘫痪”和“政治领袖不愿坐下来解决分歧”的后果。

1 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。

2 doused   

v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火]

参考例句：

• The car was doused in petrol and set alight. 这辆汽车被浇上汽油点燃了。
• He doused the lamp,and we made our way back to the house. 他把灯熄掉，我们就回到屋子里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 smoldering   

v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mat was smoldering where the burning log had fallen. 燃烧的木棒落下的地方垫子慢慢燃烧起来。 来自辞典例句
• The wood was smoldering in the fireplace. 木柴在壁炉中闷烧。 来自辞典例句

4 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

5 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

6 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

7 onlookers   

n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
• The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。

8 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

9 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

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。