外刊精读 | BBC: What's Happening in Belarus
Belarus is gripped by mass protests, triggered by an election widely believed to have been rigged in favour of the incumbent, longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The scale of the opposition rallies is unprecedented for Belarus: more than 100,000 thronged central Minsk on 16 August, while a rally for Mr.Lukashenko was much smaller.
【内容精读】
1. grip:
grip的基本含义是：to take hold of something with the hand and continue to hold it firmly. 紧紧抓住。
文中的含义是：If something grips you, it affects you very strongly.字面意思是“影响”，这里理解成“笼罩”更好，例如：The entire community has been gripped by fear.整个社区已被恐惧笼罩。
2. mass:
[adj] describe something which involves or affects a very large number of people.用来形容影响范围大的、参与人数多的事件，比如：mass unemployment（大规模失业）, weapons of mass destruction（大规模杀伤性武器），mass murder（大屠杀）。mass media中的“mass”一般认为是名词。
3. rig:
[v] to dishonestly arrange something to get the result you want or to give someone an unfair advantage.（以不正当的手段）操纵，控制
e.g.: rig the election/ job appointment/ game...
rig作动词最初表示“to fit with sails（给船只装帆）”。动词的“（以不正当手段）操纵”的含义应该源自另一个同形同音不同义的单词“rig [n]”，表示“a trick, swindle, scheme（手段，诡计，计谋）”。听起来是不是有点绕？大家只要记住，英语中有的单词不同的意思看起来毫不相干，往往是因为这些含义的来源并不相同，它们只是同形同音。
此外还有同形不同音的单词（比如bear[n]表示熊，bear[v]表示忍受、生育）和不同形但同音的单词（比如principle和principal）
4.incumbent：
[adj] (only before noun) having an official position.在职的，现任的
incumbent还有常用的意思是：
[adj] (~ upon/on sb) (formal) necessary as part of one’s duties.有责任的，必须履行的
e.g.: It was incumbent on them to attend.
[n] a person who has an official position. 在职者，现任者
e.g.:Donald Trump is the present incumbent of the White House.
5. unprecedented:
[adj] to describe sth that has never happened before. 史无前例的，从未发生过的
unprecedented还用来强调质量高、规模数量大。
unprecedented的意思不难理解，但我们还要注意区分precedent和precedence，哪个是时间上在前，哪个是地位在前呢？
precedent最初的含义是“case which may be taken as a rule in similar cases（先例）”，之后也可以表示“a person or thing that serves as a model（模范，范例）”由此有了形容词含义“ prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance”。也就是说precedent可以表示时间也可以表示重要性在前，但是通常表示时间顺序上在前。
precedence则表示重要性、地位上更高，通常搭配：precedence over.
e.g.: The speakers came on to the platform in order of precedence.
【句子分析】
这句话中用过去分词作定语的结构比较多，“triggered”修饰“protests”，“widely believed”修饰“election”，句末的“in favor of”也修饰“election”。
这句话是全文的第一句，是对文章内容的高度概括，一句话就讲明了白俄罗斯的现状、出现这样局面的原因和涉及的主要人物，通过分词、介词短语使句子精炼，我们在写作中也要学习这样的写法。
【参考译文】
白俄罗斯当下正笼罩在大规模的抗议之中。人们认为有人操控了今年的总统选举，使得在任总统亚历山大·卢卡申科占到优势，卢卡申科任白俄罗斯总统已经多年。白俄罗斯此前从未有过如此大规模的反对集会。8月16日超过10万人聚集到明斯克中心，而支持卢卡申科的队伍则小得多。
Who Is Alexander Lukashenko
Europe's longest-serving ruler, President Lukashenko has been in charge of Belarus for 26 years, coming to power in 1994 amid the chaos caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Seen as an autocrat, he has tried to preserve elements of Soviet communism. At the same time Mr Lukashenko has tried to style himself as a tough nationalist with a direct manner, defending his country from malign foreign influences, and a guarantor of stability. But the way he is perceived has changed in recent months. Opposition politicians have noticed a shift in mood, with people complaining of pervasive corruption and poverty, a lack of opportunity and low pay.
This was compounded by the coronavirus crisis. Opponents consider Mr.Lukashenko's bravado about the virus - he suggested combating it with vodka, saunas and hard work - to be reckless and a sign that he is out of touch.
【内容精读】
1. come to power:掌权，执政
还有一个说法是assume power，assume在这里的意思是：(formal) to take or begin to have power or responsibility.
e.g.: The court assumed responsibility for the girl’s welfare.法庭承担了保障这个女孩福利的责任。
2. element:
element在这里的意思是：A particular element of a situation, activity, or process is an important quality or feature that it has or needs.特点，特质。也就是说卢卡申科执政后还让白俄罗斯保留着苏联的特点。
3.style [v]：
联系它的名词意思“风格”，动词也就很好理解，表示“使...具有怎样的风格”；文中我们也可以理解成“to give sb/sth/yourself a particular name or title”，即卢卡申科把自己当做一个民族主义者。
此外，style还有一个意思：to design, make or shape sth in a particular way.把...设计（或缝制、做）成某种样式
e.g.: He’s had his hair styled at an expensive salon.
4. nationalist:
这个单词有两个意思，一是：a person who wants their country to become independent. 想要国家独立的人，国家主义者。
第二表示sb who believes in nationalism（民族主义者），这一含义通常含有贬义。nationalism表示：loyalty and devotion to a nation, especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.认为本民族优于其他民族。
但广泛的民族主义不一定含有认为本民族高于其他民族的指向，而只是以自我民族的利益为基础。
除了nationalism，还有一个主义“populism”，译为民粹主义。populism: refers to political activities or ideas that claim to promote the interests and opinions of ordinary people. 代表民众意愿的政治活动或思想。
5.malign [adj]:
evil in nature, influence, or effect; causing harm. 本质、影响不好的，有害的
autonym：benign
6. compound [v]:
(formal) To compound a problem, difficulty, or mistake means to make it worse by adding to it. 恶化，加剧。
e.g.:Additional bloodshed and loss of life will only compound the tragedy.
7. bravado [n]:
bravery是真的勇敢，那bravado是啥呢？
bravado：Bravado is an appearance of courage or confidence that someone shows in order to impress other people. 表面上自信，佯装勇敢。
e.g.：This is an act of sheer bravado.这纯属逞能。
8.out of touch: 我们知道的“out of touch”是和某人失去或不再联系的意思，但这里的out of touch则表示：not aware of recent changes in a situation.
e.g.:They accuse politicians of being out of touch with ordinary people.
【句子分析】
又是一句话介绍完了卢卡申科这个人，主句是“President Lukashenko has been in charge of Belarus for 26 years”，来个同位语补充一下卢卡申科是谁：Europe’s longest-serving ruler；后面来一个现在分词再加点东西：coming to power in 1994 amid the chaos；他为什么能执政白俄罗斯？后面一个过去分词结构“caused by”说明原因：苏联解体。
我们再来看一句：
主句是“Mr. Lukashenko has tried to style himself as a tough nationalist”，卢卡申科自己要当一个民族主义者，具体的做法呢就是做事要“with a direct manner”，还要“defending his country from malign foreign influences”，句末的“guarantor”和“nationalist”并列。
【参考译文】
卢卡申科执政白俄罗斯26年，是欧洲在位时间最长的领导人。1991年苏联解体后，卢卡申科于1994年上台，当时的白俄罗斯局面十分混乱。
人们将卢卡申科看作一位独裁者，他一直尽力让白俄罗斯保留着苏联的特点。同时，他还将自己塑造成强硬的民族主义者和国家稳定的维护者，做事直截了当，保护白俄罗斯免受其他国家的毒害。但近来人们对他的看法发生了变化。人们抱怨腐败现象严重、生活贫困、就业机会少、薪资低，反对卢卡申科的政客也注意到了人们情绪上的这种变化。
新冠疫情更加重了人们的不满。卢卡申科提议靠伏特加、桑拿和努力工作来战胜疫情。在反对者看来，卢卡申科应对疫情表面上的自信实则彰显了他的鲁莽和对时局的不了解。
这应对疫情的方法和特朗普让大家喝酒精有得一拼。
What Happened in the Election
Voting day arrived amid widespread fears among the opposition about possible falsifications. With no independent observers invited, these fears seemed well-founded and numerous apparent irregularities were documented.
On the night after the election, violent clashes led to 3,000 arrests in Minsk and other cities. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades, not seen before in Belarus, to disperse crowds.
【内容精读】
1. falsification [n]:
falsify [v]: to change sth or add untrue details to it in order to deceive people. 篡改，伪造，歪曲
e.g.:The charges against him include fraud, bribery, and falsifying business records.
2. independent:
independent observer里的independent和侧重能力的“独立”不一样，这里的意思是：not bound by or committed to a political party 无党派的。
3. irregularity:
irregularity既可以表示不规则、不规律的事物，也可以表示不合乎常规的行为、不正当的行为，甚至还可以表示不平整的事物，我们分别来看几个例句：
① 不正当行为：That there were serious polling irregularities is certain.
② 不规律：There is a slight irregularity in his heartbeat.
③ 不平整的事物：The paint will cover any irregularity in the surface of the walls。
4.rubber bullet: a bullet made of rubber intended to injure but not to kill people, used by the army to control violent crowds. （防暴用的）橡胶子弹
stun grenade [ɡrəˈneɪd]: a small bomb that shocks people so that they cannot do anything, without seriously injured them. 眩晕弹，震撼手榴弹（使人无法动弹但不会造成重创）
5.disperse [v]:
文中的含义是：to cause to separate and go in different directions 驱散
e.g.: The police dispersed the crowd.
除了强调朝不同的方向散去，disperse还可以强调散开的范围广，意为：to cause to become spread widely，比如可以说：disperse the troops。
雾气消散也可以用disperse：The sunlight dispersed the mist.
【参考译文】
在反对者对选举结果可能被伪造的担心中，投票日到来了。任何无党派者都不能旁观投票过程，这让人们的担心更加有理有据，并且大量明显的不正当行为也被记录在案。
选举结束当晚，3000人在明斯克和其他城市的暴力冲突中被捕。警察使用催泪弹、橡胶子弹和眩晕弹驱散人群，这在白俄罗斯是从未有过的。
How Has the Protest Evolved
During the post-election clashes details emerged of alleged police brutality, with detainees badly beaten and forced to endure overcrowded jails.
Many sought medical help and posted pictures of their injuries on social media after they were released.
Mr.Lukashenko was booed by striking workers when he visited a tractor plant. A number of officials, as well as current and former police officers, have resigned.
【内容精读】
1. boo:
boo [n]: used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten. boo就是人们对不满的东西发出的嘘声，比如观众对表演不满意，赶表演者下台，就可以对他说“boo”。
由此动词也就表示：to express disapproval of by booing. 文中是抽象用法，反对卢卡申科的人当然没有直接“boo”他，这个词只是表现大家的情绪。
2. tractor plant: 拖拉机厂
plant除了植物，还可以表示：a factory or place where power is produced or an industrial process takes place. 工厂，发电厂
e.g.: a nuclear reprocessing plant
【句子分析】
这段话我们主要看一下第一句：
“details emerged of alleged police brutality”可能会让大家疑惑，作者把修饰主语的定语放在了谓语动词后面，我们把它改成“details of alleged police brutality emerged”就好理解啦！“with”结构修饰“details”，阐述了“details”的具体内容。
【参考译文】
选举结束后的暴力冲突中，警察被指控暴力执法，拘留者遭到毒打、被关在过于拥挤的监狱里。
许多拘留者释放后都在寻求医疗救助，并且在社交媒体上发出自己伤口的照片。
卢卡申科曾经参观一个拖拉机厂时就遭到罢工工人的反对。现在许多政府官员，包括警察都已经辞职。
图片来源：网络
内容：BBC
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