VOA常速英语2007年-Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

By VOA News
27 December 2007
 

Pakistan's former prime minister and opposition¹ leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated² Thursday at a campaign rally just two weeks before parliamentary elections.

Police say a suicide bomber³ fired gunshots at Ms. Bhutto just moments before blowing himself up, killing⁴ at least 20 others.

Ms. Bhutto died shortly after addressing a crowd of supporters in a park near Pakistan's army headquarters in Rawalpindi, outside the capital, Islamabad. She was rushed to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to save her. She was 54 years old.

The news sparked violent protests in several cities, including Karachi, and at least nine people have died in the rioting. The Pakistani army was put on red alert.

Ms. Bhutto's husband arrived in Islamabad from Dubai to see his wife's body. Her coffin⁵ is on its way to Larkana in southern Sindh province. Ms. Bhutto is to be buried next to her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In an address to the nation, President Pervez Musharraf blamed terrorists for her assassination⁶. He also announced three days of mourning for Ms. Bhutto and called for calm across Pakistan.

Later, the country's other opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, said his party, the Pakistan Muslim League, will boycott⁷ the January 8 elections. He also demanded that President Musharraf resign immediately.

Analysts⁸ say the assassination could jeopardize⁹ the parliamentary elections.

Hours before the attack, VOA spoke¹⁰ with Ms. Bhutto, who had just held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Pakistan. She said she and President Karzai had agreed they must work together to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

Ms. Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October after eight years in exile. She escaped injury in a double suicide attack during her homecoming procession in Karachi that killed around 140 people.

For months, Ms. Bhutto had been in talks with President Musharraf for a possible power-sharing deal strongly favored by the United States. But talks had stalled, and Ms. Bhutto was campaigning to run in the January 8 elections.

Ms. Bhutto also sought to join forces with Mr. Sharif.  

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 

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 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 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。

5 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

6 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。

7 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

10 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。