2006年VOA标准英语-Many Important Figures Passed Away in 2006

By Ernest Leong
Washington, DC
20 December 2006
 
watch 2006 Legends report

From Hollywood legends to international despots, the world marked the passing of some colorful and controversial figures in 2006.  More on these gone, but not forgotten, people who left their mark on the world.

 
Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, reacts during a prayer service for Coretta Scott King at the new Ebenezer Church on Auburn Ave. in Atlanta Monday, Feb. 6, 2006
Coretta Scott King, wife of civil rights activist¹ Martin Luther King, Jr., passed away January 31st.  During the 1950s and '60s, Ms. King worked side-by-side with her husband fighting for racial equality.  After her husband was assassinated² in 1968, Ms. King continued to pursue his dream for equality.  She successfully pressed for a U.S. holiday honoring her husband, and established the King Memorial Center in Atlanta to further advance his legacy³.  Ms. King was 78.

Betty Friedan was also an activist, but for a different segment of the population.  Friedan helped launch the modern feminist⁴ movement in 1963 with her book, "The Feminine Mystique."   In the book, Friedan questioned the role of women in modern society as homemakers exclusively, a role she saw as stifling⁵.  Friedan was also co-founder of the National Organization for Women.  She died February 4th, on her 85th birthday.

 
Slobodan Milosevic
Slobodan Milosevic's lofty position as Serbian leader in the 1980s and '90s was a far cry from his humiliating end.  Last March, Milosevic died alone in a cell at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, while being tried for crimes against humanity.

During his turbulent presidency⁶, the communist state of Yugoslavia broke apart.  Serbs in Bosnia tried to carve out their own state by forcing out, or killing⁷, the non-Serb population -- what would come to be known as "ethnic⁸ cleansing⁹." 

It was a tactic¹⁰ Milosevic's troops also applied¹¹ in Croatia, and later, Kosovo.  To his dying day, Milosevic maintained he was only responding to aggressions against his fellow Serbs. Milosevic's trial was still ongoing¹² when he passed away at age 64.

Oleg Cassini was best known for designing clothes for the rich and famous, in particular, some of Hollywood's most glamorous¹³ actresses in the 1940s and '50s.  Perhaps his most famous client was first lady Jackie Kennedy, wife of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.  Cassini was 92 when he died March 19th.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a dynamic, elusive¹⁴ insurgent¹⁵ leader operating in Iraq.  A Jordanian by birth, his trademark¹⁶ was violence: Bombings, assassinations¹⁷ and beheadings.  Zarqawi's brutal¹⁸ tactics helped turn the United States' swift invasion of Iraq in 2003, into a grueling counterinsurgency fight.  Despite his death in a U.S. air attack in early June, his legacy continues to be seen in Iraq, in the form of continued bombings, and a widening rift¹⁹ between the Sunnis and Shiites.  Zarqawi was 39.

International TV star Steve Irwin's sudden death in early September was shocking and sad.  Irwin gained international fame on TV for his death-defying stunts²⁰ with dangerous animals, especially crocodiles.  His life was cut tragically²¹ short when he was stung through the heart by a stingray while filming a documentary on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. 

In Australia, a week-and-a-half after Irwin's death, thousands of Irwin's fans waited in the rain, some overnight, for tickets to his memorial service -- a final testimony²² to his popularity.  Irwin was 44 when he died September 4th.

Former South African President P.W. Botha died at age 90.  Botha was head of the white-led National Party government from 1978 to 1989, continuing the apartheid era.  During his presidency, South Africa endured some of its worst racial violence and international isolation²³.  South Africa abolished apartheid [government supported racial segregation] in 1993.  Five years later, Botha was found guilty of gross human rights violations²⁴ by the Truth and Reconciliation²⁵ Commission, a panel set up under Nelson Mandela's government.  Botha escaped prosecution²⁶ because of his failing health, and he spent his final years in seclusion²⁷.  Botha passed away October 31st.

 
Robert Altman poses with honorary Oscar he received in 2006
U.S. film director Robert Altman developed a filmmaking style in the 1970s that was both distinctive²⁸ and influential²⁹.  In movies such as his 1970 anti-war comedy, "MASH," he employed huge ensemble³⁰ casts and encouraged improvisation³¹ and overlapping³² dialogue.  After the mid-1970s, his movies fell out of favor with audiences and critics.  But he came back in 1992 with "The Player," a movie business satire³³.  His last movie, "A Prairie Home Companion," was released in May.  Altman passed away in November.  He was 81.

Pierre Gemayel, Lebanon's Industry Minister, was shot to death in his car November 21st.  Gemayel was an anti-Syrian politician and scion³⁴ of one of Lebanon's most prominent Christian³⁵ families.  He became Industry Minister in 2005, after anti-Syrian factions³⁶ scored key victories in the elections that year.  Gemayel's violent death heightened tensions between pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon.  Some fear these tensions may topple the democratically elected government.  Gemayel was 34.

Former Russian security officer Alexander Litvinenko died as he lived -- amidst a swirl³⁷ of controversy³⁸ and mystery.  In the late 1990s, Litvinenko criticized the Russian government; in particular, Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, headed at the time by current Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Litvinenko was investigating the shooting death of a Russian journalist when he fell ill from radiation poisoning after visiting a hotel bar in London.

Litvinenko died November 23rd from the poisoning, but not before accusing Putin of his murder.  Interpol has joined in investigating Litvinenko's death, an investigation³⁹ that has expanded from Britain, where Litvinenko sought asylum⁴⁰ in 2000, to include Russia and Germany.  Litvinenko was 43.

 
Augusto Pinochet (File photo)
News of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's death was met both with tears amongst his supporters who saw him as Chile's savior from Marxism, and celebration by those who suffered under his oppressive rule.  After a bloody⁴¹ coup⁴² in 1973, Pinochet ruled Chile until 1990.  During this time, more than 3,000 people, mostly leftists, either disappeared or were killed for political reasons. 

Pinochet's past caught up with him in 1998, when he was detained in Britain, at the request of Spanish judges who sought his extradition⁴³ for human rights crimes.  In 2000, Britain let Pinochet return to Chile for health reasons.

But he never stood trial, after a Chilean court ruled Pinochet physically⁴⁴ and mentally unfit.  In November, Pinochet released a statement saying he accepted "political responsibility" for everything that happened during his rule. Pinochet was 91 when he died December 10th.

1 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。

2 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

5 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 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。

8 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。

9 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

10 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

13 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

14 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

15 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

16 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

17 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

18 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。

19 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

20 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

22 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

23 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

24 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

25 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

26 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

27 seclusion   

n.隐遁，隔离

参考例句：

• She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
• I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

28 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

29 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

30 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

31 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。

32 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

33 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

34 scion   

n.嫩芽，子孙

参考例句：

• A place is cut in the root stock to accept the scion.砧木上切开一个小口,来接受接穗。
• Nabokov was the scion of an aristocratic family.纳博科夫是一个贵族家庭的阔少。

35 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

36 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

37 swirl   

v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形

参考例句：

• The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
• You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿，看着雪花飘飘。

38 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

39 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

40 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

41 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

42 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

43 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

44 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。