VOA标准英语2009年-Blast Hits Iranian Pilgrims' Bus in Sy

The explosion coincided with a visit to Damascus by a top Iranian official.

Elizabeth Arrott | Cairo 03 December 2009

Damaged bus is seen at the site where three people were killed in al-Sayeda Zeinab, an area that includes a holy shrine¹ for Shiites, in southern Damascus, 3 Dec 2009

"The Iranians are very much concerned that the Syrians are defecting from Iran's camp and tilting² towards the moderate Arab governments and the U.S.," says Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut

Witnesses in Syria's capital say a blast hit a bus that had been carrying Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims.  Three people were killed and dozens of others wounded.   The explosion coincided with a visit to Damascus by a top Iranian official. 

The suburban³ Damascus blast took place near a major Shi'ite shrine, popular with both Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims.

Interior Minister Said Mohammed Sammour said the explosion, at a gas station, was not a terrorist act.

Sammour said one of bus' tires was overinflated, leading to the explosion that destroyed the vehicle.  He said two workers and the bus driver were killed.

Security officials have launched an investigation⁴ and have closed off the area to journalists.  Independent confirmation⁵ of the cause of the blast is unlikely.  Syrian state media lagged several hours behind regional media in mentioning the explosion.

The incident coincided with a visit by Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran's Security Council.

Hilal Khashan - a political science professor at the American University of Beirut - says he believes Jalili's visit was to put pressure on the Syrian government.

"The Iranians are very much concerned that the Syrians are defecting from Iran's camp and tilting towards the moderate Arab governments and the U.S.," said Khashan.  

Whether accidental or not, the blast is likely to add tensions to an already precarious⁶ relationship.  Bomb attacks are rare in Syria, which has an extensive domestic intelligence apparatus⁷.  The last blast occurred in the same area in September, 2008.
 

1 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

2 tilting   

倾斜，倾卸

参考例句：

• For some reason he thinks everyone is out to get him, but he's really just tilting at windmills. 不知为什么他觉得每个人都想害他，但其实他不过是在庸人自扰。
• So let us stop bickering within our ranks.Stop tilting at windmills. 所以，让我们结束内部间的争吵吧！再也不要去做同风车作战的蠢事了。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 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。

5 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

6 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

7 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。