2006年VOA标准英语-War, Politics and Tragedy Dominate Year's News

By Jim Bertel
Washington, DC
19 December 2006
 
watch Years Top Stories 2006

War in the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, and political change are among the most memorable¹ events of the past year. A look back at the top stories of 2006.

Iraq
January 2006 dawned with great optimism and hope in Iraq as the previous month's parliamentary elections were certified². Many believed the transformation³ from Saddam Hussein's brutal⁴ dictatorship to stable democracy was close at hand. But those dreams where shattered in February when a massive bomb destroyed the holiest Shi'ite site in Iraq - the al-Askariya  Mosque⁵ in Samarra. The nation teetered on the brink⁶ of civil war as sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites spiraled out of control. Even the death in June of al Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, did nothing to stem the bloodshed.

Caught in the middle, in August U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a major operation in an attempt to restore order to Baghdad. But by year's end, U.S. commanders acknowledged efforts to bring peace to the city had made little progress.

 
Saddam Hussein sits in court in Baghdad, 19 Dec. 2006
Progress was made in holding former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accountable for crimes against his people when he was found guilty and sentenced to death for the executions of 148 Shi’ite men and boys from the town of Dujail in the 1980s.

The violence and rising death toll⁷ in Iraq dominated the news throughout 2006, leading President Bush at a December news conference to make this candid⁸ assessment⁹: "It's bad in Iraq."

And Iraq made it bad politically for the president in 2006 as Americans voted for historic change in the United States. After a campaign many in both political parties saw as a referendum on the President's Iraq policy, the opposition¹⁰ Democratic Party swept into control of both houses of Congress. This political shift prompted the President to fire his longtime Defense¹¹ Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, as well as conduct an extensive reevaluation of his Iraq policy.

Afghanistan
Meanwhile, it was a year of change in Afghanistan. Security and peacekeeping duties were passed from U.S. forces to NATO. But a resurgent Taleban, employing tactics honed by insurgents¹² in Iraq, complicated the security situation and prompted NATO to significantly increase its troop strength by year's end.

Middle East
 
Ehud Olmert (Aug. 2, 2006)
2006 was a year of transition and turmoil¹³ in the Middle East peace process. After Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke in January, Ehud Olmert assumed control of the Israeli government with a promise to continue peace efforts with the Palestinians. But those efforts faltered¹⁴ weeks later when Palestinian voters handed a landslide¹⁵ victory to the Islamic militant¹⁶ group Hamas. In response, Israel and the U.S. cut off payments promised to the Palestinians under the 1993 Oslo peace accords. 

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians escalated¹⁷, setting off a confrontation¹⁸ in June after Palestinian militants¹⁹ kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Israel responded by attacking key infrastructure²⁰ in Gaza. Two weeks later, Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon took two more Israeli soldiers hostage. Mr. Olmert declared the kidnapping an "act of war."

Israeli warplanes and troops swept into Lebanon, battering²¹ Hezbollah targets throughout the country. Over the next month the two sides would battle to a stalemate, leaving more than 1400 dead and massive destruction across Lebanon.

North Korea
Half a world away, North Korea defied urgent pleas and intense pressure from its neighbors to detonate its first nuclear bomb in October. The international community moved swiftly to condemn²² the test and the U.N. Security Council passed tough sanctions against Pyongyang. By December, North Korea had agreed to return to the stalled six party disarmament talks with Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China and the United States.

Iran
 
Iran's nuclear development program continued and even expanded in 2006 with its actual goal still unclear. Tehran says its program is intended for peaceful energy production. But western nations believe Iran's goal is to create its own nuclear weapon, spawning²³ fears that such a provocative²⁴ move could lead to a regional nuclear arms race. Iran responded to a U.N. Security Council demand to halt uranium enrichment with delays and a series of half steps, leading many experts to believe that Iran has no intention of giving up its nuclear enrichment program.

Indonesia
While the U.N. worked to stave off a nuclear cataclysm²⁵, Indonesia once again faced the fury of nature. Just 17 months after the Indian Ocean tsunami²⁶ devastated²⁷ the country, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake killed an estimated 6,000 people in heavily populated Yogyakarta on the island of Java and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

Cuba
 
Image of Fidel Castro posted on Granma Web site Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006
Rumors²⁸ that Cuba's President Fidel Castro was terminally ill made headlines during 2006. His brother Raul, Cuba's defense minister, became acting²⁹ president but has kept a low profile. U.S. officials believe the 80-year-old Cuban dictator suffers from terminal cancer, but the Castro government denies those claims.

Sudan
 
Darfur refugees
In Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, a May peace deal between Sudan and the main Darfur rebel group did little to stop the violence,  which has now spilled across Sudan's border into neighboring Chad and Central African Republic. Since 2003, more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in brutal ethnic³⁰ and tribal³¹ warfare³². Sudan has rejected deployment³³ of a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur, insisting instead that a small, overwhelmed African Union force already there be strengthened. As the year came to an end, the international community was considering military options.

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

3 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

4 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

5 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。

6 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

9 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

15 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

16 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。

17 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

18 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

19 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。

20 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

21 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

23 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

24 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

25 cataclysm   

n.洪水，剧变，大灾难

参考例句：

• The extinct volcano's eruption would mean a cataclysm for the city.死火山又重新喷发，对这座城市来说意味着大难临头。
• The cataclysm flooded the entire valley.洪水淹没了整个山谷。

26 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

27 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

28 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

30 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

31 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

32 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

33 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。