原文閱讀：埃及民主之死

TheillusionthatEgypt’smilitary-backedinterimgovernmentwaswillingandabletotakethecountrytoinclusiveelectionsafterlastmonth’santi-IslamistcoupvanishedamidthecarnageonCairo’sstreetsonWednesday.Withchaosspreadingacrossthecountry,themilitaryhasdeclaredastateofemergency.Asthearmytightensitsgripandthedeathtollmounts,sotoodoesthethreatofcivilwar.

ViolencewasinevitableoncethesecurityforcesmovedinontheIslamistprotesterswhohaveoccupiedpublicsquaresinCairotocallforthereleaseofformerPresidentMohamedMorsi.Allsidessharetheblame.Islamistshaverefusedeveryofferofnegotiation,demandingasapreconditionthereleaseandreinstatementofthedeeplyunpopularMrMorsi.Worse,attheheightoftheviolence,theycalledformoreprotesterstojointhepitchedbattlesinsteadofappealingforcalm.

Themilitary,whichbroughtdownademocraticallyelectedgovernmentlastmonthandnowpullsthestringsofanominallycivilianexecutive,hasignitedIslamistfuryfurtherbytryingtocrushtheMuslimBrotherhood.Hundredsofleadershavebeenroundedupandjailed,whileMrMorsiisbeingheldontrumped-upcharges.UntiltheresignationonWednesdayeveningofMohamedElBaradei,secularistsinthegovernmenthavestoodbyasstateforcesweredeployedagainstciviliansinweeksofclashesthathavelefthundredsdead.

Internationaleffortstobringthewarringcampstothebargainingtablehavefailed.DiplomaticmissionsbytheUSandEUcouldnotpreventthebloodshedonWednesday.Yetmorethandiplomacyisneededtooveetheintransigenceofthosewhobelievetheonlypathtovictoryisthedestructionoftheother.Washingtonhassofarrefusedtosuspendthe$1.3bninaidtoEgypt’smilitary.Thisshouldnowbedoneuntiltheviolenceishaltedandallpartiesagreetotalks.ThereleaseofMrMorsihastobeonthetable.

ButpressurealsohastobeexertedontheMuslimBrotherhood.TurkeyorQatararebestplacedtointervenewithEgypt’sIslamists.RecepTayyipErdogan,Turkey’sprimeminister,condemnedtheearliermilitarycoup,butthisshouldnotruleouthimactingasanintermediaryinconcertwithotherparties.Qatarcouldalsoplayausefulrole.ThenewemirmaybewaryofforeignentanglementsbutheandtherestoftheworldshouldbeevenmorewaryoftheconsequencesfortheregionofadescentintosectariananarchyinEgypt.

學(xué)習(xí)指南：

1.Wordoftheday

coup:asudden,illegalandoftenviolent,changeofgovernment政變

e.g1：Heseizedpowerinamilitarycoupin1997.

例1：他在1997年的軍事政變中奪取了政權(quán)。

e.g2：Shelostherpositioninaboardroomcoup(=asuddenchangeofpoweramongseniormanagersinapany).

例2：她在董事會的人事突變中失去了職位。

2.Phraseoftheday

pitchedbattles：afiercebattlefoughtinclosebatbetweentroopsinpredeterminedpositionsatachosentimeandplace激戰(zhàn)

3.Sentenceoftheday

ThenewemirmaybewaryofforeignentanglementsbutheandtherestoftheworldshouldbeevenmorewaryoftheconsequencesfortheregionofadescentintosectariananarchyinEgypt.

卡塔爾新任埃米爾或許對卷入外國事務(wù)感到擔心，但他以及國際社會的其他人士更應(yīng)該擔心的是，埃及若陷入宗派敵對的無政府狀態(tài)，會給該地區(qū)帶來的種種后果。

注解：tangle的意思是“(線、毛發(fā)等的)纏結(jié)的一團，亂團，亂糟糟的一堆”，en是一個使動的前綴，entangle就是使……糾纏在一起意思。你可以說出幾個類似的動詞嗎?

4.Culturalpointoftheday

MuslimBrotherhood：穆斯林兄弟會是一個有近百年歷史的伊斯蘭復(fù)新運動宗教組織，最近因為埃及內(nèi)戰(zhàn)而常常見諸報端。其他有名的伊斯蘭組織還有哈馬斯(HAMAS，即IslamicResistanceMovement，伊斯蘭抵抗運動)、基地組織(Al-Qaida)、東突厥斯坦伊斯蘭運動(EasternTurkistanIslamicMovement,ETIM)等。

5.Translationoftheday

Asthearmytightensitsgripandthedeathtollmounts,sotoodoesthethreatofcivilwar.

在軍方收緊控制、死亡人數(shù)不斷上升之際，內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的威脅也在迫近。

注解：deathtoll的意思是死亡人數(shù)，時政新聞中說到死亡人數(shù)，幾乎用的都是這個詞，另外有一個表示傷亡人數(shù)的高頻詞是thenumberofcasualties。

e.g:ClintonsaidtheObamaadministrationdeeplyregretstheciviliancasualties.

例句：國務(wù)卿克林頓說，奧巴馬政府對平民傷亡深表遺憾。

（本文來自互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，不代表一點資訊的觀點和立場）