2007年VOA标准英语-Deadly Bomb Blast Hits Baghdad Market

By Jim Randle
Baghdad
26 January 2007

A bomb blast in Baghdad Friday, killed at least 15 people at an open market. VOA's Jim Randle reports from Baghdad, the latest attack followed a pledge by the country's prime minister to crack down on all militants¹.

A wounded man is treated in al-Kindi hospital in Baghdad after being hurt in an explosion at animal market, 26 Jan 2007

Iraqi police say the bomb tore through a popular market in central Baghdad where many kinds of animals are sold.

Witnesses said the bomb went off at mid-morning, and was disguised to look like a box of pigeons.

Late Thursday, sirens wailed², as emergency officials tried to care for the wounded after a bomb struck a mostly Shi'ite neighborhood in central Baghdad.

That attack came just hours after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promised a U.S.-Iraq security sweep of the capital would pursue militants wherever they hide.

Separately, the U.S. military said a Marine³ died Friday in fighting in al-Anbar province.

The continuing violence makes security the top concern for Iraqis, but the high unemployment rate is also a problem.

Iraq has about 200 major factories that once employed more than 300,000 people. A U.S. official recently told journalists that 10 of those factories can be restarted this year, putting 11,000 people back to work.

Paul Brinkley, the deputy under secretary of defense⁴ for business transformation⁵, says experts visited the factories to assess what needs to be done to resume operations.

"They need some working capital to get kicked off, to get their employees back to work," he said. "Some need power restored. Some backup generation capacity has to be purchased and installed."

Brinkley says some of Iraq's factories have outdated⁶ equipment, and are unlikely to be competitive in a world market. But he says a number have skilled management and modern facilities.

1 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。

2 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

6 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。