VOA标准英语2009-Iranians Take to the Streets to Protest Elec

Thousands of Iranians have staged another rally against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defying a government ban on protests.
　
Hundreds of thousands of Iranian supporters of defeated reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi demonstrate in Tehran, 15 Jun 2009

Tens of thousands of supporters of pro-reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets of Tehran for a third day to protest the election results that declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

The march came hours after of Iran's supreme¹ leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered an examination into Mr. Mousavi's claims of vote rigging.

President Ahmadinejad has faced demonstrations² and riots since Saturday, when officials announced his landslide³ victory in Friday's election. Following two days of unrest, the interior ministry⁴ said anyone disrupting public security would be dealt with according to the law.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has dismissed the protesters' claims, saying the election was free and fair. Defeated candidate Mousavi urged calm in a message on his Internet Web site.

Thousands of his supporters continue to post hundreds of messages to a Mousavi support group on the Facebook website. The site is being blocked inside Iran, but many Iranians are still able to access it via proxy⁵ servers.

Dozens of pictures of police brutality⁶ were posted, including a young man drenched⁷ in blood, and a black-clad riot policeman pounding demonstrators who had fallen to the ground."
　
Hundreds of Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi's supporters attend a protest, in front of the Iranian Consulate⁸, in Dubai, 15 Jun 2009

A song to protest the government crackdown, called "Be Free Iran," is also gaining popularity among young Iranian demonstrators, who are exchanging it via the Internet, to express support for the burgeoning⁹ protest movement.

"This is the start of a brand new revolution," wrote one young man who identified himself as Reza on the Mousavi Web site. "It is not going to stop."

"Honk¹⁰ your car horns," wrote a young woman named Rubina, "and stop near government buildings [to protest]"

Despite what appears to be the growing momentum¹¹ of popular discontent, Tel Aviv-based Iran analyst¹² Meir Javedanfar of the MEEPAS center says close scrutiny¹³ is needed to determine where the situation in Iran is heading.

"I think it depends on three factors: Number one, how senior are the people who are going to become involved in the demonstrating; the more senior they are, the more people will become encouraged," Javedanfar said. "Number two; if the demonstrations spread to other cities. I think the more cities that become involved, the more the leadership will take notice. And, also, number three; the duration of this. If this continues for another two weeks, I think the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will have a serious situation on his hands. Until then, we should sit down and watch the developments and see what the Supreme Leader says."

Dozens of reformist political leaders are reportedly under house arrest, but some analysts¹⁴ say dissension within the government appears to be causing confusion and preventing a full-scale crackdown.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 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。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

6 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

7 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

9 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

10 honk   

n.雁叫声，汽车喇叭声

参考例句：

• Don't honk the horn indiscriminately.不要乱鸣喇叭！
• While passing another vehicle,you must honk your horn.通过另一部车时必须鸣按喇叭。

11 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 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。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。