美国有线新闻 CNN 法国向暴力抗议屈服决定暂缓上调燃油税 美国民众彻夜排队瞻仰老布什灵柩

 

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: France's government is giving in to a major demand of protestors but will it be enough to stop the riots that have been taking place there. I'm Carl Azuz for CNN 10 and that's where we begin today's show.

Most cars in France run on diesel¹ fuel. The cost of that has gone up significantly this year and the government of French President Emmanuel Macron has planned an increase on diesel taxes starting in January.

Two main reasons for that. One, President Macron wants French drivers to switch from diesel cars to electric ones. He said that's necessary to fight climate change. And two, the French government spends more than it takes in so the higher taxes would help make up for that. But the president's been criticized for ignoring the needs of drivers who live outside cities and depend on their cars for transportation.

The proposed diesel tax triggered the "Yellow Vest Protests". Demonstrators have been wearing the yellow vests that French law requires drivers to keep in their cars. Over the weeks that protests have been held, the reasons for them have expanded to reflect general opposition² to Macron's government. An estimated 36,000 people turned out across the country on Saturday and violence broke out.

Statues were vandalized. Graffiti was written on the famous Arc De Triomphe. The Reuters News Agency reported that a high school was set on fire.

About 400 people were arrested. The New York Times reports that three people were killed and that hundreds of others were hurt in the protests.

On Tuesday, the French Prime Minister announced that the planned tax increases on diesel would be postponed³ for six months. But the question remains⁴, will that cause tensions to simmer down or will unrest continue to swell⁵ in the weeks ahead?

Starting Monday evening a long line formed outside the U.S. Capitol Building. The public stood in the cold to join current and former elected officials in paying their respects to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush. He passed away on Friday at the age of 94 and his casket was brought to the U.S. Capitol rotunda⁶ to lie in state until Wednesday morning. This is an honor reserved for military officers and U.S. government officials.

The 41st President's death brought together Republicans and Democrats⁷ who paid solemn tributes to President Bush at the Capitol and are expected at his state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral set for Wednesday. Former Senator Bob Dole⁸ a friend of President Bush for decades characterized the 41st leaders passing as the end of an era. George H. W. Bush was the last World War II veteran to serve as U.S. President.

1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 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。

3 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

6 rotunda   

n.圆形建筑物；圆厅

参考例句：

• The Capitol at Washington has a large rotunda.华盛顿的国会大厦有一圆形大厅。
• The rotunda was almost deserted today,dotted with just a few tourists.圆形大厅今天几乎没有多少人，只零星散布着几个游客。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。