2006年VOA标准英语-Afghan Parliament Seeks Arrest of US Troops Inv

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
31 May 2006

Afghanistan's parliament has passed a resolution demanding the arrest of U.S. soldiers involved in a deadly car crash. 

Afghan protesters throw stones at an US military vehicle after a traffic accident in Kabul, May 29, 2006  
  
Afghan legislators passed the non-binding resolution late Tuesday, a day after the violent riots swept through the capital.

The parliament's deputy speaker, Mohamamd Arif Noorzai says the people responsible for the deadly accident that sparked the violence should be handed over to local authorities and prosecuted¹.

The riots erupted Monday moments after a U.S. military truck reportedly lost control and slammed into several cars, killing² at least one person.

The accident attracted a massive crowd. Within minutes protesters started throwing rocks and hurling³ abuse at the U.S. soldiers. Shots were fired and at least one person was killed. Rumors⁴ soon circulated that the U.S. troops were responsible.

U.S. military spokesman Colonel Tom Collins repeated earlier claims that American forces only fired their weapons in self-defense.

"The gathered crowd had grown to approximately 300 to 500 people and became increasingly hostile," he said. "There are indications from our initial investigation⁵ that coalition⁶ soldiers did in fact use their weapons in self-defense."

But Collins did not say whether the U.S. troops fired into the crowd or over it, as previously⁷ claimed.

The anti-American riots spread from the crash site to the city center, where dozens of buildings were ransacked⁸.

Hundreds of demonstrators chanted slogans against the United States and Afghanistan's U.S.-backed president, Hamid Karzai.

The violence was the worst the capital has seen since U.S. forces occupied the city in late 2001. On Tuesday, at least 10 people were confirmed dead with dozens more injured.

U.S. officials say they are working closely with the Afghan government to identify what went wrong on Monday and how to avoid similar accidents in the future.

The riots are widely seen as a sign of growing frustration⁹ with the U.S. troops in the city, as well as the grinding poverty that still plagues most of the country.

Foreign troops routinely speed through Kabul's dusty streets, dodging¹⁰ pedestrians¹¹ and creating massive traffic jams.

Meanwhile, urgently needed development projects, including new roads, remain unfinished and the capital's unemployment rate is estimated at 40 percent.

1 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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》

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 ransacked   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

10 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

11 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》