Media scrambling to get word on Mandela's whereabouts

 PRETORIA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The whereabouts of former president Nelson Mandela who is receiving treatment for a lung infection have puzzled journalists who are scrambling¹ to get first- hand as well as first-time information about the anti-apartheid hero's conditions.

Since Mandela was hospitalized on Dec. 8, crowds of journalists had camped outside the 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria, where Mandela was believed to be treated for his illness. But the Presidency² hinted on Thursday Mandela was not treated at that hospital.

This prompted journalists to change camping sites. This time they targeted the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria. Since early Friday, groups of journalists have been streaming to open grounds outside the hospital to set up their camps.

The Beeld newspaper said that Mandela had been admitted to the hospital under a pseudonym³.

It reported that security at the hospital was tight and that a number of black bakkies and cars, identical to those used by the police's VIP unit, could be seen on its ground.

The paper also said Mandela's wife Graca Machel, President Jacob Zuma and former president Thabo Mbeki had visited the hospital recently.

These reports helped draw a large contingent⁴ of journalists to the hospital. There are also rumors⁵ that Mandela has been released from hospital.

The government has been under fire for misleading the media about where Mandela was being treated.

In response to such criticism, the Presidency said on Thursday the government had never identified the hospital where Mandela is staying.

"We have noted⁶ media speculation⁷ about the hospital at which former President Mandela may be receiving medical attention," the Presidency said in a statement.

Mandela "is being treated at a Pretoria hospital as said from the first statement we issued," the statement said. "We have refrained from disclosing the hospital in order to ensure privacy and also to allow doctors space to do their work of caring for Madiba without interruptions or undue⁸ pressure."

The Presidency urged the media to respect Mandela's privacy while he was receiving treatment.

"While we understand the interest in the story, we urge the media to respect the former President's privacy."

In an earlier statement, the Presidency said doctors had concluded tests on Mandela, and the tests revealed a recurrence⁹ of a previous lung infection.

Mandela was being treated accordingly and he was responding to the treatment, the Presidency said.

Mandela's hospital stay this time is his longest since 2001, when he underwent seven weeks of radiotherapy after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In January 2011, Mandela was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for an acute respiratory infection for a short period. In February this year, he spent a night in a hospital for a minor¹⁰ diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal¹¹ complain.

Mandela turned 94 on July 18 this year. His health has been a focus of concern.

Mandela, who was imprisoned¹² for 27 years during apartheid, was elected the country's first black president in 1994.

1 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 pseudonym   

n.假名，笔名

参考例句：

• Eric Blair wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell.埃里克·布莱尔用乔治·奧威尔这个笔名写作。
• Both plays were published under the pseudonym of Philip Dayre.两个剧本都是以菲利普·戴尔的笔名出版的。

4 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

5 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

8 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

9 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 abdominal   

adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌

参考例句：

• The abdominal aorta is normally smaller than the thoracic aorta.腹主动脉一般比胸主动脉小。
• Abdominal tissues sometimes adhere after an operation.手术之后腹部有时会出现粘连。

12 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。