2007年VOA标准英语-Greek Government Faces Pressure as Fires Rage i

By Nathan Morley
Nicosia
30 August 2007

The Greek government is facing pressure for a fourth day from opposition¹ parties and the public as fire continues to threaten the southern part of the country. The fires have left thousands homeless, and at least 64 people died. Nathan Morley reports for VOA from Nicosia that more than 8,000 people demonstrated late Wednesday in front of the parliament building in Athens.

Demonstrators dressed in black stand in front of Parliament house during a protest against the destruction of forests in central Athens, 29 Aug 2007

Opposition leader George Papandreou said the government had proved "pitifully incapable²" of dealing³ with fires throughout the summer and had not been able to save the lives, property and homes of Greek citizens.

In an exclusive interview with VOA, Papandreou said the government was ill prepared.

"We had these fires now for over three month's, and we certainly would have expected much more vigilance, preparation and coordination⁴ from the top," he said. "I feel that the government has cut back on financing and training and in organization in this area, when we all knew that the climate changes were a threat to our forest fires."

Mr. Papandreou also dismissed suggestions that terrorism was behind the disaster, saying the problem was simply the state's inability to deal with large-scale fires of this nature and magnitude.

"We have seen much discussion about possible terrorist threats, I think this is simply nonsense, and this nonsense may have more to do with the elections than any real threat," added Mr. Papandreou.

Greek government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros says the administration has done everything it can under the difficult circumstances.

"What we experienced in the past five to six days, it is an overwhelming outbreak of fires, forest fires throughout the country and the extreme, severe weather conditions, and we had a series of fires that no other country in Europe has ever experienced before," he said.

The headline on the front page of the leading Athens daily CHORA read, "People's Rage: Thousands Homeless From Fires".

Woman watches her house as firefighting helicopter drops water in village of Thisoa, 29 Aug 2007

Many Greeks believe land developers are responsible for burning forests to make way for new construction, taking advantage of the lack of a land registry and clear zoning laws.

Some estimates in the Greek media claim damages from the fires to be around $1 billion.

A government-led effort to aid stricken individuals and areas has started, with an emergency allocation of 3,000 euros per affected⁵ household being handed out.

The cash payments are in addition to of a series of measures to aid homeowners, farmers, and business owners. Nearly 150 million euros has been pledged by private individuals and companies to help those in need.

There has been widespread praise for emergency services and those involved in the relief effort, even institutions such as the Boy Scouts⁶ have been helping⁷ in the aid effort.

"We organized a camp with food, water, facilities and medical help," said Scoutmaster Victor Stevanakis.

In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI sharply condemned⁸ the arsonists¹⁰ during his general audience at St. Peter's Square, saying "Arson⁹ is a criminal act."

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 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 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。

9 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

10 arsonists   

n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. 工厂在纵火犯引起的火灾中烧毀了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland said suspected arsonists could face murder charges. 澳大利亚总检察长罗伯特麦克莱兰说，怀疑纵火犯可能面临谋杀指控。 来自互联网