VOA慢速英语:Syria Continues Attack on Dissent; Mubarak Trial Begins in Cairo

短语讲解：

1. Tens of thousands of Syrians demonstrated against the government on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

demonstrate against示威反对(某事)
例句：They demonstrated against the government's nuclear policy.
他们示威反对政府的核政策。

2. Protests also took place in other Syrian cities.

take place发生; 举行
例句：The threatening strike did not take place after all.
可能来临的罢工终究没有发生。

3. Demonstrators called for President Bashar al-Assad to resign.

call for要求
例句：The letter calls for an investigation of the facts.
来信要求对这些事实进行调查。

4. A political activist in Hama told VOA that government forces have been raiding the homes of activists and carrying out arrests and killings.

carry out执行; 贯彻；实现，完成
例句：He carried out the plan in very detail.
他一丝不苟地执行那项计划。

5. On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on other countries to join the United States in taking action.

call on要求, 请求, 号召
例句：The government called on the workers to oppose waste.
政府号召工人反对浪费。
take action采取行动, 行动起来
例句：The police had to take firm action to deal with the riots.
警方不得不采取果断行动来对付骚乱。

6. We need to get a much louder, more effective chorus of voices that are putting pressure on the Assad regime, and we’re working to obtain that.

put on增加
例句：The bank put pressure on the company to reduce its borrowings.
银行界向这家公司施加压力，迫使其减少借款。

7. The government has blamed much of the violence on what it calls terrorists and militants.

blame on把责任推给…
例句：They blamed the failure on John.
他们把失败的责任推给约翰。

8. They feared that a resolution could lead to a situation similar to the international military action in Libya.

lead to导致, 引起
例句：An ordinary cold can soon lead to a fever.
一场普通的感冒很快便会引起高烧。
similar to与…相似
例句：My problems are very similar to yours.
我的问题和你的差不多。

9. These include letting opposition parties operate for the first time.

for the first time第一次
例句：The astronauts landed on the moon for the first time.
宇宙飞行员第一次登上月球。

10. These include ordering the killing of protesters during the eighteen days of political unrest that forced him out.

force out把…赶走, 挤掉; 迫使离开, 屈服
例句：Competition has forced out many small firms.
竞争挤垮了许多小公司。