贝卢斯科尼伤愈"复出"

Premier Silvio Berlusconi returned to a busy political schedule Monday after a monthlong recovery from an attack that broke his nose and two teeth.

Berlusconi said he was feeling well as he arrived at his Rome residence, cheered by a group of supporters holding up a "Welcome Back" banner. He met with his coalition allies to set the agenda for the new year, including fiscal and justice reforms.

The image-conscious Berlusconi touched his left cheek and pointed out to reporters that there was hardly any scar visible on his face. Berlusconi was hit in Milan on Dec 13, when a man threw the statuette of Milan's cathedral at his face during a rally. The 73-year-old leader was hospitalized for a few days and has largely remained away from the public.

Berlusconi's popularity has increased after the attack in Milan, polls have shown. The images of his bloody and frightened face raised sympathy, as did photos of the premier leaving the hospital with bandages on his face. Berlusconi says he has forgiven attacker Massimo Tartaglia, who has been described as mentally ill and remains in custody.

The attack also pushed to the back burner a sex scandal that had engulfed the premier over his purported fondness for young women.

"I believe that modernizing the country is indispensable. It's worth working on this for all of us," Berlusconi told reporters upon his arrival from Milan.

The justice reform has been in the works for months, since legislation granting immunity from prosecution to the premier and other top officials while in office was thrown out in October. As a result, Berlusconi faces two trials in Milan, one on tax fraud and the other on corruption.

The premier has always denied wrongdoing and accused Milan's magistrates of orchestrating a politically motivated persecution against him. Berlusconi's allies have been looking for ways to shield the premier from the trials, leading to accusations that any such measure would be tailor-made for him.

Berlusconi did not discuss details of any possible measures on Monday, but said the notion that a reform of the justice system would be done to his advantage outraged him. He said any new law would be "for the freedom" of all.

本周一，意大利总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼在受伤休养一个月后重返忙碌的政治日程。老贝在之前的一次遇袭事件中鼻子骨折，掉落两颗牙齿。

贝卢斯科尼称自己回到位于罗马的总理官邸时感觉不错，一群支持者高举“欢迎回来”的标语向他表示问候。当天贝卢斯科尼会见了他的政治盟友，并制定了新的一年的议事日程，其中包括财政和司法改革。

十分在意个人形象的贝卢斯科尼摸了摸自己的左脸颊，并指给记者看说他脸上的伤疤已经基本看不见了。贝卢斯科尼于去年12月13日在米兰的一次集会中遇袭，当时一名男子将一个米兰大教堂小雕像砸向他的脸部，导致73岁的总理先生受伤住院多日，暂离公众视线。

民调显示，贝卢斯科尼的支持率在米兰遇袭事件后上升。他遇袭后脸部流血直流、神色惊恐以及脸缠绷带出院的照片赢得了公众的同情。贝卢斯科尼称，他已经原谅了袭击者马西莫．塔尔塔格里亚。据说此人患有精神病，目前仍在拘留中。

遇袭事件也让人们暂时淡忘了老贝的性丑闻事件，之前有传闻称他对年轻女性青睐有加。

贝卢斯科尼从米兰抵达罗马时告诉记者说：“我认国家的现代化改革十分必要，这值得我们所有人为之努力。”

意大利的司法改革已酝酿数月之久。去年十月，一项赋予总理和在任高级官员司法豁免权的法律被废止，使贝卢斯科尼获罪成为可能，目前他在米兰面临逃税和贪污腐败两项指控。

贝卢斯科尼一直否认自己有什么不当行为，并称这是米兰地方执法官员企图对他进行政治迫害。老贝的政治盟友一直在想办法帮他脱身，致使一些人称任何此类的举措都是为贝卢斯科尼量身定做的。

当天，贝卢斯科尼并未讨论改革举措的细节内容，但表示有关司法改革是为他个人谋利的说法让他很气愤。他称任何一项新的法律的制定都是为了所有人的“自由”。

Vocabulary:

back burner：a condition of low priority or temporary deferment（次要地位）

in the works：in preparation or being planned（在计划中，在酝酿中）

magistrate：a civil officer charged with the administration of the law（地方执法官员）

orchestrate: to arrange or manipulate, esp. by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering（密谋，策划）

tailor-made：custom-made; made-to-order; made-to-measure（特制的）

to one's advantage：to good effect; advantageously（对某人有利）