1. 报告显示，伊拉克人到工业国家申请难民的数量较之去年上升了 77% ，超过两万两千人。

The report shows asylum applications by Iraqis in industrialized countries rose 77 percent last year to more than 22,000.

asylum

asylum : a shelter from danger or hardship n. 庇护,收容所
The people ask for political asylum.

人们请求政治避难。

 

2. 联合国难民署发言人朗·里德曼说，萨达姆统治期间，大部分伊拉克难民因为迫害而逃亡。然而现在，他们正在逃离普遍化的暴力、冲突和迫害。

U.N. refugee agency spokesman Ron Redmond says, during Saddam's reign, Iraqis mainly fled from persecution, whereas now they are fleeing generalized violence, conflict and persecution.

reign

fled

persecution

reign : a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful n. 执政 , 主权,王朝
The reign of Queen Victoria lasted more than sixty years.
维多利亚女王的统治持续了六十多年。

flee : run away quickly v. 逃避 , 逃跑,逃走
All hope had fled.
一切希望都破灭了.
The frightened people fled from the fire.
人们惊恐万状地逃离了火灾现场。

persecution : the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion) n. 迫害 , 烦扰
The Jews suffered terrible persecution under Hitler's rule.
犹太人在希特勒的统治下受到残酷的迫害。

 

3. 联合国难民事务高级专员同时汇报说，另外有大约二百万人在伊拉克境内流动。

The UNHCR also reports nearly two million other people are internally displaced within Iraq.

displaced

displace: move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment v. 移置 , 替换
The indigenous population was soon displaced by the settlers.
没过多久，外来移民就把当地人赶出了家园。

 

4. Redmond says the United States has agreed to boost its refugee quota and will accept about 7,000 Iraqis for resettlement this year.

boost

quota

boost : the act of giving hope or support to someone v. 推进 ,提高
The publication of this boost my confidence.
这本书的出版增强了我的信心。

quota : a proportional share assigned to each participant n. 配额 , 限额
The committee reversed its decision on import quota.
委员会取消了对进口货物的配额的决定。

 

5. 这主要是由于难民输出国的情况得到了一定改善，以及工业国采取了更严格的限制政策所致。

It attributes the decline to improved conditions in asylum seekers' home countries and to more restrictive policies in industrialized countries.

attributes

attribute: attribute or credit to v.归因于
This play is usually attributed to Shakespeare.
这个剧本通常认为是莎士比亚作的.

 

6. 然而这些检察官却说，他们是因为单纯的政治原因被解雇的，一些内幕就是，他们没有按照共和党官员要求的那样向对手民主党发起挑衅式的调查。

But the firing attorneys say they were told to leave for purely political reasons, in some cases because they did not follow requests from Republican officeholders to launch aggressive investigations against Democratic Party opponents.

purely

officeholders

opponents

purely : restricted to something ad. 纯粹地 , 清洁地 ,贞淑地
The question is purely academic.
这是一个纯学术性的问题。

officeholder : someone who is appointed or elected to an office and who holds a position of trust n. 公务员 , 职员 ,官员
The rear benches in the House of Commons where junior members of Parliament sit behind government officeholders and their counterparts in the opposition party.
后座议员席英下议院后排座的议员席，议会中职位较低的成员坐在政府官员和对立党成员的后面.

opponent : a contestant that you are matched against n. 对手 , 敌手 ,反对者
She is one of the strongest opponents of tax reform.
她是税收改革最强烈的反对者之一。

 

7. 民主党人指责白宫利用联邦检察官进行恐吓运动，并认为这会损害联邦司法体系的权威性。这些指责在华盛顿掀起了一场政治风暴。

That accusation has ignited a political firestorm in Washington, with Democrats accusing the White House of using the federal attorneys as part of a campaign of intimidation that could undermine the credibility of the federal justice system.

accusation

ignited

undermine

accusation : a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt n. 控告 , 指控 ,非难
The prosecutor brought an accusation of theft against him.
检察官指控他偷窃。

ignite: cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat vt. 点燃
He struck a match and ignited the fuse.
他划了根火柴, 点著了导火索.

undermine : destroy property or hinder normal operations v. 渐渐破坏
Beware of the fifth column. They often infiltrate into key positions and seek to undermine the body politic from within.
要提防隐蔽的敌人，他们经常渗透到关键岗位企图从内部破坏国家政体。

 

8． 布什总统于周六重申，他支持他的首席检察官，而且白宫正尽力向国会提供必要信息来调查解雇八名联邦法官事件。

President Bush reaffirmed on Saturday that he stands by his attorney general, and that the White House is doing all it can to provide Congress with the information it needs to investigate the firing of the eight federal attorneys

reaffirmed

reaffirm: affirm once again  vt. 重申 , 再肯定

Putting the best face on the pullout, the leadership in Moscow and Kabul exchanged official messages reaffirming the continuation of a relationship"sealed by blood." 

为使撤军无损颜面，莫斯科与喀布尔（阿富汗首都）的领导人交换官方照会，再度肯定继续“热血凝成的”友谊。

 

9． 民主党人提出，他们希望总统能否宽容的对待这件事情，并允许他的白宫政治和法律顾问在公众面前就此事作证。

Democrats say they hope the president will relent and will allow his top White House political and legal advisors to testify in public on the matter.

relent

relent:  give in, as to influence or pressure  v. 变宽厚 , 变温和 , 动怜悯之心

The police will not relent in their fight against crime. 

 警方在跟犯罪分子的斗争中决不手软。