VOA常速英语2008年-Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 37 as Pakistan El

By Meredith Buel
Islamabad
16 February 2008

At least 37 people have been killed and 90 injured in a suicide bombing following an election rally in northwestern Pakistan.  The bombing comes as politicians in Pakistan were wrapping up their campaigns for Monday's parliamentary elections.  VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Islamabad.

Security officials say the blast occurred when a suicide bomber¹ rammed² his car into a group of people leaving a rally for a local candidate supported by the party of the slain³ leader, Benazir Bhutto.

The attack came in the town of Parachinar, in the troubled Kurram tribal⁴ region bordering Afghanistan.

Many of the injured are in critical condition and the death toll⁵ is expected to rise.

The campaign for Monday's parliamentary elections has been overshadowed by security fears following the assassination⁶ of former Prime Minister Bhutto in a gun and suicide bomb attack last December.

Most of the victims in this latest blast appear to be supporters of Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.

A wave of suicide bombings has caused bloodshed across Pakistan in recent weeks.

Pakistan's interior minister, Hamid Nawaz Khan, is the top government official responsible for security for the elections.

Khan tells VOA that incidents like the latest bombing are sowing fear among voters and could have a negative impact on turnout at the polls.

"This incident, one more incident like this, where lives get lost and a large number of people get injured, it definitely does affect the people," he said.  "It does create an environment of fear, but at the same time we have to surmount⁷ this difficulty."

Pakistan has deployed⁸ more than 80,000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of police and paramilitary forces throughout the country in an effort to provide security for the election.

Interior Minister Khan says with more than 64,000 polling stations it is difficult to protect all of them from suicide bombers⁹.

"So this type of ugly incident, there is a possibility that it could occur on one or two places," he added.  "But in a country which is so big, a population of about 160 million people, the degree of risk I would say is insignificant¹⁰ when you see it in terms of percentages or the possibilities."

Monday's elections will take place against a backdrop of rising Islamic militancy¹¹ throughout Pakistan and many candidates have been discouraged from holding large rallies.

Security fears are running highest in the lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border.

The elections are considered crucial to restoring democracy to Pakistan following eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr. Musharraf's presidency¹² is not being contested in this election, but if opposition¹³ parties win a two-thirds majority in parliament, they would have enough votes to impeach¹⁴ him.

1 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。

2 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

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 surmount   

vt.克服；置于…顶上

参考例句：

• We have many problems to surmount before we can start the project.我们得克服许多困难才能著手做这项工作。
• We are fully confident that we can surmount these difficulties.我们完全相信我们能够克服这些困难。

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 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

11 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

12 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

13 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。

14 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。