VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's PM Asks for Bennett's Immediate Rele

Zimbabwe's newly-nominated deputy agricultural minister, Movement for Democratic Change party treasurer¹ Roy Bennett, is being held on charges of attempting to acquire weapons. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says Bennett's arrest was politically motivated and the MDC has asked for his immediate² release.
　
Roy Bennett (2005 file photo)

Senior policemen were sent from Harare to Mutare to deal with the high-profile case that has cast a pall³ of gloom over Zimbabwe's new government of national unity⁴.

State media said Bennett is accused of a plot in connection with a weapons case heard three years ago in which Peter Hitschman was cleared, but then convicted and sentenced to a jail term for possession of unlicensed weapons and ammunition⁵. All of the other people arrested in the Hitschman case were later released without charge.

New MDC Minister For Constitutional Affairs Eric Matinenga is an advocate for Hitschmann. He said Bennett's name did not come up in that trial. Hitschmann, a gunsmith, is due to be released from prison in June.

According to the MDC, Bennett was improperly⁶ arrested when he was dragged off an aircraft Friday, by people who did not identify themselves. He was then driven at high speed to Mutare where he was locked up without an arrest warrant and denied lawyers for several hours.
　
Protesters hold posters asking to "Free Roy Bennett"

As news spread of Bennett's detention⁷, hundreds of youths swarmed⁸ into the Mutare city center shouting his name. Police fired live bullets to disperse⁹ them and sealed off streets around the police station.

At least 10 people were arrested in connection with the spontaneous demonstration¹⁰ of support for Bennett, a legendary¹¹ political personality in eastern Zimbabwe.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai blamed Zanu PF party hardliners for Bennett's arrest, saying it undermined the spirit of the political agreement which led to the unity government.

Education Minister Senator David Coltart, a lawyer who was like Bennett a founding member of the MDC, said Roy Bennett had returned to Zimbabwe openly from exile in South Africa and that he could be trusted to attend court if he were put on trial.

He said the manner of Bennett's arrest smacked¹² of vindictiveness¹³ and was possibly a move by hawks¹⁴ in the Zanu PF party to cause the unity government to fail.

When Bennett is charged the MDC will be trying to arrange bail¹⁵ for him. Zimbabwe lawyers for human rights are still struggling to secure the release on bail of at least 13 other MDC members taken from their homes last October.

1 treasurer   

n.司库，财务主管

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mrs.Jones as treasurer.琼斯夫人继史密斯先生任会计。
• The treasurer was arrested for trying to manipulate the company's financial records.财务主管由于试图窜改公司财政帐目而被拘留。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

9 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

10 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

11 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

12 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

13 vindictiveness   

恶毒；怀恨在心

参考例句：

• I was distressed to find so much vindictiveness in so charming a creature. 当我发现这样一个温柔可爱的女性报复心居然这么重时，我感到很丧气。 来自辞典例句
• Contradictory attriButes of unjust justice and loving vindictiveness. 不公正的正义和报复的相矛盾的特点。 来自互联网

14 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

15 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。