2006年VOA标准英语-Massive Beirut Protest Calls for Lebanon's Gove

By Challiss McDonough
Beirut
01 December 2006

Hundreds of thousands of opposition¹ protesters rallied in central Beirut on Friday, in a Hezbollah-organized demonstration² aimed at bringing down the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Thousands of the protesters are camped out in the street outside the prime minister's office, and say they will not move until he resigns. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough reports from Beirut.

A Lebanese Hezbollah supporter sits on a street light during demonstration in Beirut, 1 Dec 2006

The crowd was massive, overflowing³ two public squares in central Beirut and choking the streets leading up to them in every direction. As they came, they chanted slogans denouncing the prime minister and his government.

The demonstrators waved the Lebanese flag as a sign of unity⁴. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had told his followers⁵ to bring only the national flag, not the bright yellow-and-green Hezbollah banner.

For the most part, people complied. But many protesters wore Hezbollah baseball caps or t-shirts, and many others waved enormous orange flags with the checkmark logo of the Free Patriotic⁶ Movement, a Christian⁷ party led by former General Michel Aoun.

/// NAT SOUND, AOUN OVER LOUSPEAKER IN ARABIC, FADE UNDER ///

Aoun spoke⁸ to the rally from behind bulletproof glass, to rapturous applause. His party won more seats than any other Christian party in last year's election, and one of the opposition's stated goals is forcing the government to give him seats in the cabinet. The opposition says it wants one-third of the cabinet seats, so it can veto government decisions.

In the crowd, 31-year-old lawyer and Aoun supporter Imad Geara said he believes their demands are reasonable. "We are the majority, and we're only demanding a third of the government, 33 percent of the government. And he's not ready to give us this. We were happy that the Syrians went from Lebanon. Now the Americans came in place of the Syrians. They are now, unfortunately, after Syria, the United States is governing Lebanon. And I think we will have a civil war in Lebanon if Mr. Siniora will not accept (agree) to share Lebanon with the others," he said.

Until recently, Hezbollah and Amal, the two Shi'ite opposition parties, were part of Mr. Siniora's government. But their five ministers, plus a sixth loyal to Christian President Emile Lahoud, have resigned in protest over government plans for an international tribunal to prosecute⁹ those responsible for a string of political assassinations¹¹. With no Shi'ites in the cabinet, the opposition now says the government is illegitimate.

As the protesters thronged¹³ outside, Mr. Siniora remained in his office complex, known as the Serail, along several members of his cabinet. They have been essentially¹⁴ living there, out of fear for their safety, ever since the minister of industry, Pierre Gemayel, was killed a week and a half ago. The opposition protests were postponed¹⁵ after the assassination¹⁰ out of fear they would spark violence.

Thursday night, on the eve of the protest, Prime Minister Siniora flatly rejected the idea of stepping down. He said Lebanon's independence and democracy are under assault.

He said, "We will not allow them to topple the democratic system or its institutions. We will not accept a state within a state. We are the legitimate¹² and constitutional government, for all Lebanon and for all Lebanese."

Before the protest, soldiers cordoned¹⁶ off the government building with concertina wire and armored vehicles to keep the protesters away. As evening fell, thousands of demonstrators -- mainly from Hezbollah -- erected¹⁷ tents in the streets outside the building, and said they would camp there until Mr. Siniora steps down.

Wearing both a Hezbollah hat and an orange Aoun scarf, protester Issam Haraka said he is prepared to sleep in the open air for as long as it takes to bring down what he termed the "fake government." "We can't make Mr. Hassan Nasrallah's words gone with the wind. He told us go stay there. We'll stay here. It's our duty, we feel. Yeah, we'll stay here," he said.

And the protesters looked well-prepared. In addition to white canvas tents, they had portable toilets and large water tanks, apparently¹⁸ set for a long stay.

On the other side of the government building, a smaller but fiercer-looking crowd assembled on a darkened street, away from the demonstration. Many of those men wore white baseball caps and carried two-way radios, indicating that they were higher-level Hezbollah members, or organizers.

As night set in, some used tattered¹⁹ protest posters as prayer mats, saying their evening prayers alongside coils of razor wire. Others stretched out in the street, getting ready for a long, chilly²⁰ night.

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 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。

3 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

10 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

11 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

12 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。

13 thronged   

v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mourners thronged to the funeral. 吊唁者蜂拥着前来参加葬礼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The department store was thronged with people. 百货商店挤满了人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 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。

16 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

18 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

19 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

20 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。