17 killed in Istanbul explosions

时间：2009-06-13 01:28:13

（单词翻译:单击）

Seventeen people were killed and more than 150 injured in two explosions in a crowded Istanbul square late on Sunday night.

Investigators1 yesterday were trying to determine who was behind the attacks.

But Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said the blasts may be linked to a Kurdish rebel group. "There appears to be a link with the separatist organization. We are working on that. We hope to get a result at the first opportunity," Guler said.

But the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rejected the allegation. "The Kurdish freedom movement has nothing to do with this event, this cannot be linked to the PKK," Kurdish rebel leader Zubeyir Aydar was quoted as saying by a pro-Kurdish news agency, Firat.

"We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Turkish people," Aydar said.

The bombs went off in the residential2 neighborhood of Gungoren in a busy square closed to the traffic where people congregate3 at night, often bringing their children to have ice cream or sunflower seeds. Two of those killed on Sunday were children.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a Cabinet meeting yesterday in the capital, Ankara, to travel to Istanbul.

The attack came on the eve of deliberations by Turkey's top court on whether to ban the ruling party for allegedly trying to steer5 the country towards Islamic rule. There was no evidence of a link or claim of responsibility.

Turkey is home to a variety of militants6, including Kurdish rebels and Islamic extremists, and alleged4 coup7 plotters with ties to the secular8 establishment.

Opposition9 leader Deniz Baykal said security officials told him the type of bombs used were similar to those used in attacks in Ankara and the mostly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir that were blamed on the PKK.

The high level of professionalism in the Istanbul bombings, apparently10 designed to inflict11 maximum casualties among civilians12, was unsettling.

Authorities said the vast majority of the deaths and injuries occurred when a curious crowd gathered after the first, but much smaller blast.

"First, they exploded a percussion13 bomb to grab attention. Then, 10 minutes later, in another trash-can, they exploded a fragmentation bomb," said Hayati Yazici, deputy prime minister.

The Cihan news agency said the second bomb consisted of the same plastic explosive used in a May 2007 suicide attack in Ankara that killed seven people.

 

Questions:

1. How many people were injured in Sunday’s bomb attacks?

2. According to the article which organisation14 is being blamed for the attack?

3. How many minutes past before the second bomb exploded?

Answers:

1. 150.

2. Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

3. 10 minutes.


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1 investigators e970f9140785518a87fc81641b7c89f7     
n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
  • The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 residential kkrzY3     
adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的
参考例句：
  • The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
  • The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。
3 congregate jpEz5     
v.(使)集合，聚集
参考例句：
  • Now they can offer a digital place for their readers to congregate and talk.现在他们可以为读者提供一个数字化空间，让读者可以聚集和交谈。
  • This is a place where swans congregate.这是个天鹅聚集地。
4 alleged gzaz3i     
a.被指控的，嫌疑的
参考例句：
  • It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
  • alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为
5 steer 5u5w3     
vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶
参考例句：
  • If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
  • It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。
6 militants 3fa50c1e4338320d8495907fdc5bdbaf     
激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
  • Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。
7 coup co5z4     
n.政变；突然而成功的行动
参考例句：
  • The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
  • That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。
8 secular GZmxM     
n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的
参考例句：
  • We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
  • Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。
9 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
10 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
11 inflict Ebnz7     
vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担
参考例句：
  • Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
  • Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。
12 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓
参考例句：
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。
13 percussion K3yza     
n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响
参考例句：
  • In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
  • Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。
14 organisation organisation     
n.组织，安排，团体，有机休
参考例句：
  • The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
  • His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

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