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Amnesty International Calls on Taiwan to Abolish Death Penalty 国际特赦组织呼吁台湾废除死刑

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Amnesty International Calls on Taiwan to Abolish Death Penalty  国际特赦组织呼吁台湾废除死刑

In the wake of the resignation of Taiwan’s justice minister Wang Ching-feng, who stepped down after refusing to sign execution orders, Amnesty International has added to the pressure on President Ma Ying-jeou’s government to abolish capital punishment altogether. Representative Roseann Rife reiterated her organization’s calls for Taiwan to set an example for Japan and China by getting rid of the death penalty once and for all. Wang failed to gain support for her opposition to capital punishment. Conversely, her successor, Tseng Yung-fu, said he would have no problem authorizing the executions of the 44 inmates on death row in Taiwan. Although Taiwan has not executed a prisoner since 2005, Amnesty’s appeal comes as reports suggest the nation is gearing up to execute a death row inmate later this year. The controversial topic divides public opinion, and many lawmakers want more debate on the death penalty before deciding whether it should be abolished.

台湾法务部长王清峰拒绝签署死刑执行同意书并因此下台，而在她辞职之后，国际特赦组织对马英九政府施压，希望其完全废除死刑。该组织代表阮柔安重申其诉求，希望台湾能彻底废止死刑，为日本及中国树立典范。王清峰对于死刑的反对立场未能获得支持；相反地，她的继任者曾勇夫表示要他批准台湾44位死囚的死刑令绝对没有问题。虽然台湾自2005年起就未曾处决囚犯，不过国际特赦组织的诉求是有理由的，因为有传闻暗指台湾准备在今年稍晚将一名死囚枪决。这个具争议性的话题使得民意分歧，而许多立法者则希望在决定死刑存废之前，能听听更多关于死刑的正反辩论。

Volcano Eruption Causes Concern in Iceland  冰岛火山爆发引起关注

A volcano which had been dormant for almost two centuries erupted in Iceland recently, shooting lava 100 meters into the air and causing the evacuation of up to 600 people and the cancellation of flights. No one was thought to have been hurt, but the volcanic activity did spark fear that a nearby glacier might begin to melt and flood the region. Though this scenario did not occur, there are further worries that the eruption may trigger an explosion of the larger Katla volcano. Scientists say history shows that when the smaller volcano erupts, Katla always follows. Past Katla eruptions have caused massive flooding. Iceland is known as the land of “fire and ice” because of its many volcanoes and glaciers. Previous volcanic explosions in the country have sent poisoned air to Britain, caused crop production in Europe to fail, and even brought one of the longest and coldest winters to North America.

冰岛一座休眠几乎两世纪的火山于近日爆发，岩浆喷射到100公尺高，多达600人因此撤离，多数航班也遭取消。此次爆发并没有造成任何人员受伤，不过火山活动的确引发人们的恐惧，害怕附近的冰川会开始融化并淹没该区。虽然这样的情况没有发生，但进一步的忧虑随之而来：这可能触发更大的卡特拉火山爆发。科学家表示从历史纪录可得知，当较小型的火山喷发时，卡特拉火山总会跟进爆发。卡特拉火山过去爆发时曾导致大洪水。冰岛以「冰火之岛」闻名，因为当地有很多火山及冰川。先前该国的火山爆发曾把毒气带到英国，造成欧洲农作物产量锐减，甚至为北美带来一段最长最冷的寒冬。

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Vocabulary

单词发音

abolish [əˋbɑlɪʃ] v. 废除，废止

penalty [ˋpɛn!tɪ] n. 处罚；刑罚

resignation [͵rɛzɪgˋneʃən] n. 辞职

execution [͵ɛksɪˋkjuʃən] n.（依法）处死[处决]

conversely [kənˋvɝslɪ] adv.【正式】相反地; 另一方面

successor [səkˋsɛsɚ] n. 后继者，继任者

inmate [ˋɪnmet] n. 囚犯，住院者；同坐牢的人

gear up (为某事物)(使)某人/某事物准备好 to get ready

eruption [ɪˋrʌpʃən] n.（火山）爆发；（熔岩的）喷出

evacuation [ɪ͵vækjʊˋeʃən] n. 撤空；撤离

cancellation [͵kæns!ˋeʃən] n. 取消

glacier [ˋgleʃɚ] n. 冰河

scenario [sɪˋnɛrɪ͵o] n. 可能发生的事; 可能出现的情况

explosion [ɪkˋsploʒən] n. 爆发；爆炸

More Information

单词发音

amnesty [ˋæm͵nɛstɪ] n. 大赦；特赦

capital [ˋkæpət!] adj. 可处死刑的；致命的

reiterate [riˋɪtə͵ret] v. 重申，反复讲

once and for all 一劳永逸地, 永远, 彻底地 finally; permanently

authorize [ˋɔθə͵raɪz] v. 批准，认可

death row = death house 死囚行刑前的监房

dormant [ˋdɔrmənt] adj. 暂停活动的；静止的; 休眠的

erupt [ɪˋrʌpt] v. 喷出；爆发

lava [ˋlɑvə] n.【地】熔岩

volcanic [vɑlˋkænɪk] adj. 火山的；由火山作用所引起的

poisoned [ˋpɔɪznd] adj. 有毒的

Live Footage Iceland Volcano 2010 April