2017年商务英语BEC高级阅读练习题（六十六）

2017年商务英语BEC高级阅读练习题（六十六） 　　

　　The illusion that Egypt’s military-backed interim government was willing and able to take the country to inclusive elections after last month’s anti-Islamist coup vanished amid the carnage on Cairo’s streets on Wednesday. With chaos spreading across the country, the military has declared a state of emergency. As the army tightens its grip and the death toll mounts, so too does the threat of civil war.

　　上月埃及发生反伊斯兰主义政变后，人们曾幻想埃及军方支持的临时政府愿意且能够带领这个国家举行包容性的选举。但昨日开罗街头上演的大屠杀击碎了这种幻想。随着动乱向全国蔓延，埃及军方宣布全国进入紧急状态。在军方收紧控制、死亡人数不断上升之际，内战的威胁也在迫近。

　　Violence was inevitable once the security forces moved in on the Islamist protesters who have occupied public squares in Cairo to call for the release of former President Mohamed Morsi. All sides share the blame. Islamists have refused every offer of negotiation, demanding as a precondition the release and reinstatement of the deeply unpopular Mr Morsi. Worse, at the height of the violence, they called for more protesters to join the pitched battles instead of appealing for calm.

　　信仰伊斯兰主义的抗议者们占领了开罗的公共广场，呼吁释放前总统穆罕默德-穆尔西(Mohamed Morsi)。一旦武装安全部队开始对这些抗议者采取激烈行动，暴力就立刻变得不可避免。哪一方都逃脱不了责任。伊斯兰主义者拒绝了所有谈判请求，宣称谈判的前提条件是，军方释放极不受欢迎的穆尔西并让他官复原职。更糟糕的是，在暴力冲突最严重的时候，他们还号召更多抗议者加入激战，而不是呼吁保持冷静。

　　The military, which brought down a democratically elected government last month and now pulls the strings of a nominally civilian executive, has ignited Islamist fury further by trying to crush the Muslim Brotherhood. Hundreds of leaders have been rounded up and jailed, while Mr Morsi is being held on trumped-up charges. Until the resignation on Wednesday evening of Mohamed ElBaradei, secularists in the government have stood by as state forces were deployed against civilians in weeks of clashes that have left hundreds dead.

　　埃及军方上月推翻了民选政府，如今操纵着一位名义上的文职总统。军方试图镇压穆斯林兄弟会(Muslim Brotherhood)，进一步点燃了伊斯兰主义者的怒火。数百名穆兄会领导人遭拘捕和囚禁，穆尔西则因莫须有的罪名遭扣押。国家武装力量被调来对付平民，数周来，两者之间的冲突已造成数百人丧生，而临时政府内的文官们对此一直默不作声，直到昨晚穆罕默德-巴拉迪(Mohamed ElBaradei)宣布辞职，才打破了这种沉默。

　　International efforts to bring the warring camps to the bargaining table have failed. Diplomatic missions by the US and EU could not prevent the bloodshed on Wednesday. Yet more than diplomacy is needed to overcome the intransigence of those who believe the only path to victory is the destruction of the other. Washington has so far refused to suspend the $1.3bn in aid to Egypt’s military. This should now be done until the violence is halted and all parties agree to talks. The release of Mr Morsi has to be on the table.

　　国际社会推动冲突双方展开谈判的努力已告失败。美国和欧盟的外交使团没能阻止昨日的流血。然而，要化解冲突双方的不妥协态度，需要的不仅仅是外交努力，因为冲突双方都坚信，取得胜利的唯一办法就是毁灭对方。美国政府迄今仍拒绝暂停对埃及军方的13亿美元援助。但美国现在真的应当暂停这一援助了，直到暴力停止、各方同意谈判为止。释放穆尔西也应提上谈判日程。

　　But pressure also has to be exerted on the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkey or Qatar are best placed to intervene with Egypt’s Islamists. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, condemned the earlier military coup, but this should not rule out him acting as an intermediary in concert with other parties. Qatar could also play a useful role. The new emir may be wary of foreign entanglements but he and the rest of the world should be even more wary of the consequences for the region of a descent into sectarian anarchy in Egypt.

　　与此同时，也需要对穆斯林兄弟会施压。土耳其和卡塔尔两国最适合担当调停者。土耳其总理雷杰普-埃尔多安(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)曾谴责埃及此前发生的军事政变，但不应因此就排除他与其他方面一起充当调解人的可能性。卡塔尔也能发挥有益的作用。卡塔尔新任埃米尔或许对卷入外国事务感到担心，但他以及国际社会的其他人士更应该担心的是，埃及若陷入宗派敌对的无政府状态，会给该地区带来的种种后果。

　　学习指南：

　　1.Word of the day

　　coup: a sudden, illegal and often violent, change of government 政变

　　e.g1：He seized power in a military coup in 1997.

　　例1：他在 1997 年的军事政变中夺取了政权。

　　e.g2：She lost her position in a boardroom coup (= a sudden change of power among senior managers in a company).

　　例2：她在董事会的人事突变中失去了职位。

　　2.Phrase of the day

　　pitched battles：a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in predetermined positions at a chosen time and place 激战

　　3.Sentence of the day

　　The new emir may be wary of foreign entanglements but he and the rest of the world should be even more wary of the consequences for the region of a descent into sectarian anarchy in Egypt.

　　卡塔尔新任埃米尔或许对卷入外国事务感到担心，但他以及国际社会的其他人士更应该担心的是，埃及若陷入宗派敌对的无政府状态，会给该地区带来的种种后果。

　　小编注：tangle的意思是“(线、毛发等的)缠结的一团，乱团，乱糟糟的一堆”，en是一个使动的前缀，entangle就是使……纠缠在一起意思。你可以说出几个类似的动词吗?

　　4.Cultural point of the day

　　Muslim Brotherhood：穆斯林兄弟会是一个有近百年历史的伊斯兰复新运动宗教组织，最近因为埃及内战而常常见诸报端。其他有名的伊斯兰组织还有哈马斯(HAMAS，即Islamic Resistance Movement，伊斯兰抵抗运动)、基地组织(Al-Qaida)、东突厥斯坦伊斯兰运动(Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement,ETIM) 等。

　　5.Translation of the day

　　As the army tightens its grip and the death toll mounts, so too does the threat of civil war.

　　在军方收紧控制、死亡人数不断上升之际，内战的威胁也在迫近。

　　小编注：death toll的意思是死亡人数，时政新闻中说到死亡人数，几乎用的都是这个词，另外有一个表示伤亡人数的高频词是the number of casualties。

　　e.g:Clinton said the Obama administration deeply regrets the civilian casualties.

　　例句：国务卿克林顿说，奥巴马政府对平民伤亡深表遗憾。