2007年VOA标准英语-Bus Bomb Kills at Least Three in Sadr City

By William Ide
Washington
21 April 2007

Violence continued in Iraq Saturday with a bus bomb exploding in Baghdad, and gunmen slaughtered¹ a Kurdish family in northern Kirkuk. One U.S. soldier was killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb. VOA's William Ide has more from Washington.

wreckage2 of a bus at the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Sadr City, 21 Apr 2007" hspace="2" src="http://www.wwenglish.com/up/2007/04/17773/4.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

An Iraqi boy rides his bicycle past the wreckage of a bus at the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Sadr City, 21 Apr 2007

Police say the bus bomb killed at least three people when it exploded in Baghdad's predominately Shi'ite district of Sadr City. The minibus that was used for the attack was gutted³ by flames and its windows shattered. Five others were injured in the attack.

In Kirkuk, 250 kilometers north of Baghdad, authorities say unknown gunmen broke into a home and opened fire on a Kurdish family, killing⁴ an eight-year-old girl, her elder sister and parents.

The U.S. military said an American soldier was killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb struck their patrol southwest of Baghdad.

Separately, coalition⁵ forces detained 13 suspected terrorists in raids in central Iraq on Saturday morning. Two of the individuals were found with grenades and military-style ammunition⁶ vests in their possession. The military says the men are suspected of having ties to al-Qaida in Iraq.

Meanwhile, in a previously⁷ unannounced visit, Australia's Defense⁸ Minister Brandan Nelson met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (Saturday) in the Iraqi capital. In a statement, Iraqi officials said Mr. Maliki told Nelson that he believes the Baghdad security plan is going in the right direction, despite challenges.

Nelson arrived one day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates concluded a two-day visit to Iraq. While in Baghdad, Gates warned that the U.S. military presence in Iraq is not open-ended, and he urged political factions⁹ to reconcile quickly and move forward.

The trips by the two defense ministers come at a particularly violent time in Iraq. More than 200 people have been killed since Wednesday in a series of massive car bombings. As a result, the so-called surge in U.S. troops has come under increased scrutiny¹⁰ in the United States.

U.S. Senator Harry¹¹ Reid said earlier this week that he told President Bush the war in Iraq is lost.

Speaking in the midwestern state of Michigan Friday, President Bush expressed confidence in the plan and in the military commander carrying it out. "General (David) Petraeus has been carrying out this new strategy for just over two months. He reports that it will be later this year that we can judge the potential of success," he said.

The United States is currently increasing the number of American troops in Iraq in a bid to stabilize¹² Baghdad and other violent areas of the country. The Pentagon says the 30,000 troops being deployed¹³ to Iraq as part of the troop surge will remain there until at least the end of August.

1 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 gutted   

adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏

参考例句：

• Disappointed? I was gutted! 失望？我是伤心透了！
• The invaders gutted the historic building. 侵略者们将那幢历史上有名的建筑洗劫一空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 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。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 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。

9 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

10 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

11 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

12 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

13 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。