VOA标准英语2014--Three Years After Tahrir, Has Egypt Changed? 三年解放之后,埃及改变了吗?

 

Three Years After Tahrir, Has Egypt Changed? 三年解放之后,埃及改变了吗?

CAIRO, EGYPT — On January 25, Egyptians mark the third anniversary of the revolution that ended decades of a repressive regime -- and that many heralded¹ as the beginning of a transition to democracy.  

But three years after millions of Egyptians rose up and overthrew² Hosni Mubarak, a general-turned- president, the country seems set to back another general, Abdel Fatah el Sissi, as his successor.

That leaves many asking how much, if anything, has changed?

There is more violence, including a series of bombings in Cairo, one day before the anniversary - which makes General Sissi all the more popular with many Egyptians, who long for stability after all the turmoil³.

Supporters, like taxi driver Said Ali Yaseen, feel the general - who toppled Egypt's first civilian⁴ and democratically-elected president in July - brings a new perspective on moving the country forward.

“It's very different.  No - Sissi has a different mind, he's still young,” said Yaseen.

Adopting the “revolutionary” mantle⁵ appears key.  Sissi, and the military-backed interim⁶ government, are among many forces laying claim to the legacy⁷ of Tahrir.

Officials argue that Morsi's ouster and the crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood⁸ stemmed in part because they deviated⁹ from the revolutionary path.

But then, so, too, authorities say, have some of the original revolutionaries. Dozens of activists¹¹, liberal figures, have faced arrest in recent weeks.  

Gamal Eid, an activist¹⁰ with the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, says the young revolutionaries have demands that have not been met, and are now being attacked.   

Even an Academy Award-nominated Netflix documentary on Tahrir and the more recent upheavals¹² raises the government's concerns.

"We did all of this in order just to remove him and put someone exactly like him in his place," Eid said.

Egypt's censorship board is holding up its release.

But Tahrir was not just about politics. It was a cry against poverty, injustice¹³, and stagnation¹⁴ under the old regime. Ahmed Kamal Abou El Magd, a constitutional lawyer and Islamic scholar, warns that basic needs must be met.

“If they feel grievances¹⁵ are not met seriously and very little improvement is taking place, God knows how they are going to rebel," he said. "They are going to rebel."

But with the hope of the Arab Spring long since faded, some, like taxi driver Ali Yaseen, put Egypt's situation in a broader context.

 

“Look at this whole world in Arab area. See what's wrong with them now?  Libya, nothing [good]. Iraq nothing," said Yaseen. "You start with Yemen and then now with Syria.”

1 heralded   

v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

3 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。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

6 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。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

9 deviated   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• On this occasion the plane deviated from its usual flight path. 这一次那架飞机偏离了正常的航线。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His statements sometimes deviated from the truth. 他的陈述有时偏离事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

13 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

14 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

15 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》