VOA常速英语:Syrian President Concedes 'Mistakes' in Handling Protests

短语讲解：

1. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the authorities have made some mistakes in their handling of anti-government protests since mid-March.

make mistake 犯错
例句：A careless person is apt to make mistakes.
粗心的人易犯错误。

2. Assad told a group of dignitaries that most of the blame lay with poorly trained members of the security services, according to government TV.

according to根据, 按照
例句：Fill up the form according to the instructions.
按照说明将表填好。

3. But he said Syria had now "overcome the crisis" and it was coming to an end.

come to an end结束,终止
例句：All good things come to an end.
天下没有不散的筵席。

4. Video on a Facebook website showed scores of protesters chanting slogans against the government in Syria’s third largest city of Homs Wednesday, heeding a call for a nationwide general strike.

general strike全国性罢工
例句：They opposed the government by staging a general strike.
他们举行全国性罢工反对政府。

5. Overnight, a campus protest at Aleppo University was broken up by government militiamen and hundreds of students were arrested.

break up (使)破裂, (使)散开, (使)解散
例句：The crowd broke up.
人群散开了。

6. It was the second straight night that Aleppo students came out to protest.

come out出来, 出现
例句：Come out and get some fresh air.
出来吸点新鲜空气。

7. He says that the Council of Ministers decided at Wednesday’s meeting to set up a committee to reform the judicial system and to devise a strategy to reform the judiciary at all levels, including re-organizing judicial bodies and increasing the number of judges.

set up建立，建造, 创立, 竖立
例句：They set up a supervisory institution.
他们设立了监察机构。

8. Meanwhile, in Yemen the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation group of oil-producing countries, proposed a deal, which aims to end months of unrest and stabilize the region.

aim to 目标在于…
例句：Dean aim to study on a scholarship.
狄恩打算用功以得奖学金。

9. However, given the number of times Saleh has backed out of resigning in recent weeks, some opposition leaders said they remained skeptical.

back out of收回（诺言等）；食言，背信
例句：He has decided to back out of the scheme.
他已决定撒手不参与这项计划。