2006年VOA标准英语-India on High Alert Against Sectarian Viol

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
08 March 2006

India remained on high alert Wednesday to prevent sectarian violence in the aftermath of bomb attacks that killed 20 people and wounded more than 50 in a holy Hindu city in Uttar Pradesh state.

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Armed police guarded temples and other holy sites across the country Wednesday, the day after bombs ripped through a temple and a rail station in Varanasi - one of the most sacred cities for Hindus.

Activists¹ of the main opposition² Bharatiya Janata Party burn an effigy³ symbolizing⁴ Pakistan during a protest against Tuesday's string of bomb explosions in Varanasi, India, Wednesday, March 8, 2006   
  

Authorities sealed off the city as concerns ran high that the blasts could spark a backlash from Hindu groups, who blame Muslim militants⁶ for the violence.

Alok Sinha, Home Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, said anti-riot squads⁷ have been deployed⁸ throughout the state.

"All big cities, all small towns, especially all religious places, especially Ayodhya and Mathura, have been put on high alert, leave of all policemen has been cancelled," said Sinha. "We will ensure that communal⁹ harmony is not disrupted by any means."

Varanasi was mostly shut down by a strike called by Hindu nationalist groups to protest the bombings, but the city remained calm. The scores of temples that dot the city conducted morning prayers including the Sankat Mochan temple, one of the targets of Tuesday's explosions. Local religious leaders joined the government in appealing for peace.

However, slogan-shouting Hindu groups held marches in the city's narrow alleys¹⁰, accusing the government of ignoring security threats.

In New Delhi, angry opposition lawmakers of the rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party also shouted slogans in parliament, blaming the government for failing to tackle terrorism.

In a statement, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the Sankat Mochan temple was targeted to cause communal tension in the country. But he said the violence would not undermine the country's determination to combat such attacks.

Meanwhile, in the Uttar Pradesh capital of Lucknow, police say they gunned down an Islamic militant⁵ belonging to the Laskhar-e-Taiba group, which is fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. They said he might be linked to the bombings in the holy city.

Two other militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in New Delhi, but it is also not clear if they had any connection to the bombings. The group has been blamed for previous terror attacks in the country.

Several countries, including Pakistan, the United States and Britain, have condemned¹¹ the attacks. The terror strike in Varanasi took place four months after coordinated¹² blasts hit New Delhi just days before the Hindu festival of Diwali.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 effigy   

n.肖像

参考例句：

• There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿，千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
• The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。

4 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

9 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

10 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法