2006年VOA标准英语-Thousands Protest Bridge Linking Sicily to

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
22 January 2006

More than 10,000 people marched in the city of Messina in Sicily to protest the planned construction of a bridge linking the island to mainland Italy.

Thousands marched through Messina streets to voice their opposition¹ to a bridge they say would damage the environment.

But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right government have trumpeted² the project as a vital driver of development in the south that will finally make Italy one nation by linking Sicily to the mainland.

Protesters argue the project would waste millions of euros.

A woman said she is protesting because Messina needs much more than a bridge. She added that the bridge would not solve the problems of development existing in southern Italy.

Speaking before the demonstration³, the World Wide Fund for Nature said a new environmental study is needed, following a reclassification of the area's status by the European Union. Land affected⁴ by the bridge project on both sides was recently granted special EU protected status due to its unique bird and wildlife population.

There have also been fears of potential Mafia involvement in the project.

The Berlusconi government has dismissed those fears by stressing the economic benefits the bridge will bring.

The Messina bridge is without a doubt an ambitious project and one of the biggest ever undertaken in Europe. It has been on the drawing board since the 1960s and Prime Minister Berlusconi wants to be credited with actually making it happen.

If built, the nearly four-kilometer suspension bridge linking Sicily to the mainland will have the longest main span in the world. It will carry a double six-lane highway and four tracks for a high-speed railway line.

Work is expected to begin this year and be concluded by 2012.

1 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。

2 trumpeted   

大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
• The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。

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 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。