VOA标准英语2014--乌克兰钢铁大亨反对亲俄分裂势力

 

Ukraine Tycoon's Workforce¹ Protests Against Pro²-Russians 乌克兰钢铁大亨反对亲俄分裂势力

DONETSK — For the second day in a row, employees of the Ukrainian steel magnate Rinat Akhmetov staged small demonstrations⁴ against separatists in Donetsk and other cities across eastern Ukraine.

They came down from the glistening⁵ steel and marble office tower that dominates the skyline of Donetsk for a lunchtime demonstration³.

These rather well-dressed political activists⁶ are senior employees of Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man.

He recently called on his 300,000 strong workforce to demonstrate every day at 12 p.m. against the pro-Russian separatist movement that has swept through this region.

Akhmetov initially⁷ remained quiet about the uprising here, but in a statement on Monday he said that people were tired of living in fear and called the separatists’ actions “a genocide” of the Donbas region.

Critics have said that Akhmetov has only weighed in now because the rebellion has started to have an affect on his business interests.

Rebels recently seized industrial railway lines.  And, it has become clear that if eastern Ukraine were to secede⁸, very few countries would recognize it, meaning vital export markets in Europe and elsewhere would be closed off.  

Ilyena Dimitrova said secession would be an economic disaster.

“It will be a disaster, because all the coal mines across the border in Rostov in Russia used to be subsidized and have been closed, and all the coal mines here are subsidized. The only way to keep the mines is through free economics without corruption," said Dimitrova.

Nearby, pro-Russian separatists, some of whom were carrying hammers and clubs,  tried to stop cars that were honking⁹ their horns in support of the protest. The police looked confused, perhaps unsure of who to arrest. Their inaction caused anger among some of the protesters.

“What the hell are you doing? Why is one man allowed to make such a big problem blocking the road? Do they want to make up their own rules everywhere in Donetsk? Just look, he has a knife on his belt," shouted a pro - Russian woman.

Lev, who also works in Akhmetov’s nearby office, insisted he had not been ordered to attend the protest.

“You cannot say that public opinion is just like this or like that, no, it varies. But here, what they are doing is not normal. Most people think that already. Just running through the city with guns and trying to stop traffic or crash cars, that’s not okay," said Lev.

Later, at the occupied regional administration building, separatists called for Akhmetov to get out of Donetsk. They have now scheduled an anti-Akhmetov rally for Thursday morning.

1 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 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。

5 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

6 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》

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

9 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》