Cote d'Ivoire expels British, Canadian ambassadors

    ABIDJAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire on Thursday expelled（驱逐） the ambassadors from Britain and Canada, state television reported.
    A statement from the government of incumbent¹ President Laurent Gbagbo read in the state television said the move came after the two countries refused to recognize the ambassadors appointed by Gbagbo.
    The statement said the diplomatic privileges（外交特权） and immunity² of the British and Canadian ambassadors remain in place until they leave the African country or until a reasonable amount of time has passed for them to leave.
    Cote d'Ivoire has been trapped in a political impasse³ since the landmark⁴ presidential run-off held on Nov. 28. Both Gbagbo and opposition⁵ leader Alassane Ouattara claimed victory, swore themselves in as president of the country and formed their respective government.
    Gbagbo was backed by the country's Constitutional Council, while Ouattara has the support of the electoral commission.
    A mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has gone to Abidjan twice for mediation⁶ but failed.
    ECOWAS has earlier urged Gbagbo to step down and vowed⁷ the use of legitimate⁸ force if he fails to heed⁹ its immutable¹⁰ demand.
    In a New Year's message to the nation, Gbagbo said he was not going to give up.
    He also described the call for him to quit as "an attempted coup¹¹ d' etat".(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

3 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

4 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

5 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。

6 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

7 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

8 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

9 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

10 immutable   

adj.不可改变的，永恒的

参考例句：

• Nothing in the world is immutable.世界没有一成不变的东西。
• They free our minds from considering our world as fixed and immutable.它们改变着人们将世界看作是永恒不变的观点。

11 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。