BBC News with Fiona MacDonald
The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned after more than two weeks of growing protests against him across the country. The news wasgreeted with a massiveoutburstof joy and riot celebration by hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the heart of the demonstrations. This woman was delighted that the protesters achieved their goal without having toresort toviolence.
"Well, we're just very, very, very, very happy about this, and really happy that we're able to do it peacefully. This is probably the first Middle East or Arab revolution that happened with no violence, although it started with some violence. But we've proved that. We're here peacefully. We're just asking for basic human rights, and it shows you thatdeterminationgets you what you want, and we're really looking forward to a really bright future in the country."
Mr Mubarak's powers will be taken over by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. It said it understood the people's demand for aradicalchange. But with the civilian leadership sidelined, a BBC correspondent in Cairo says the situation looks very much like a military coup. However, the Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei said he believes the army is just taking over to ensure a smooth transition.
"In the mess we were to end in the last two and three weeks, I in fact ask today for the army intervention. This is a state of emergency. I think the army has had the duty to come to save Egypt from going down the drain, but it doesn't mean that they are there forever. They are there with these people to help to ensure stability."
A senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, Essam al-Arian, said that Egyptians had made history and were adding a new model of democracy to the world. The leader of the opposition al-Ghad party, Ayman Nour, spoke of the nation being born again.
The protests began on the 25 January,partlyinspired by the demonstrations that drove the Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power, partly driven by Egypt's economic problems and anger against what many saw as a corrupt regime. John Simpson looks at what made President Mubarak leave now.
For 18 days, thestubbornnessof one elderly man has beenpitted againstthe will of millions here. The Egyptian army found itself in the middle, unwilling until the very end to force President Mubarak out, yet deeplyhostileto any suggestion that the soldiers should remove the demonstrators from Tahrir Square by force.It's still too soon to know for certain what made Mr Mubarak step down, but it seems a reasonableassumptionthat the army leadership could see the hairline cracks appearing among their own officer corps.The generals wereinclined toside with the president, one of their own, and the more junior officers sympathised with the demonstrators.
World News from the BBC
President Barack Obama has welcomed President Mubarak's resignation. He called on the military to lift the state of emergency and start preparing the way for free and fair elections. He said he was optimistic about Egypt's political future.
"This is not the end of Egypt's transition. It's a beginning. I'm sure there will be difficult days ahead and many questions remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks."
Other world leaders, among them the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have reacted too. Mr Ban said the voice of the Egyptian people had been heard.
In Tunisia, where people overthrew their own president last month, there was dancing in the streets and car horns were blaring in celebration of President Mubarak's resignation. There was alsojubilationacross the Palestinian territories. The Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, said it was the start of the Egyptian revolution.
President Mubarak was appointed vice president after a successful career in the military and became leader following the assassination of the President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Caroline Hawley has this assessment of Hosni Mubarak's career.
It was amid turmoil that Hosni Mubarak became president when his predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981.A military man, stability was the obsession of his regime at the expense of human rights, but he was violently opposed by Islamist extremists, and his rule was challenged by the Muslim Brotherhood, and more recently by a growing secular opposition inspired by the revolution in Tunisia. It was they who brought the people onto the streets. President Mubarak madea series ofconcessions. All were too little, too late.
Caroline Hawley
BBC News
埃及全国各地反对穆巴拉克的抗议活动不断扩大,两周多之后,穆巴拉克终于辞职。消息传出后,示威活动的中心,开罗解放广场数万人爆发出欢呼和庆祝的声音。这名女子表示非常高兴,抗议者没有诉诸暴力就达到了自己想要的目标。
“我们非常非常高兴,非常高兴能够和平地达到这个目标。这或许是中东地区或阿拉伯世界第一次没有发生暴力的革命,尽管最初发生了一些暴力事件。但是我们已经证明,我们和平地完成了任务。我们只是要求基本的人权,这次抗议活动表明,只要有决心,就一定能够达到想要的目标,我们非常期待埃及拥有一个光明的未来。”
穆巴拉克的权利将由埃及武装部队最高委员会接管。该委员会表示,他们能够理解民众对根本性的变革的要求。但是由于平民领袖退出,BBC驻开罗一名记者表示,目前的形势看上去更像一场军事政变。然而,埃及反对派人物穆罕默德·巴拉迪(Mohamed ElBaradei)表示,他相信军方接管政权是为了确保权利的顺利移交。
“在过去两三周刚刚结束的混乱中,我确实要求军方干预。这已经是紧急状态。我认为,军队有责任将埃及从内耗中拯救出来,但是这并不意味着永远都是军方掌管权利。他们只是与民众一起确保形势的稳定。”
穆斯林兄弟会一名高级领袖Essam al-Arian表示,埃及民众创造了历史,为世界增加了一个新的民主国家的典范。反对派al-Ghad明日党领导人Ayman Nour表示,这个民族获得了新生。
抗议活动于1月25日开始,部分是受突尼斯推翻了总统本·阿里的示威活动激励,部分是由埃及的经济问题以及对腐败政体的愤怒驱动。John Simpson为我们分析穆巴拉克下台的原因。
18天以来,这名年长领袖的顽固一直违反着数百万人的意志。埃及军队保持中立态度,直到最后一刻才强迫穆巴拉克下台,然而却强烈反对有人提议的士兵应该使用武力迫使示威者离开解放广场。目前要确切了解穆巴拉克辞职的原因还为时过早,但是似乎一个合理的推测就是,军队官员之间会出现分裂。将军们倾向于支持自己的总统,而较低级的官员则同情示威者。
BBC世界新闻。
奥巴马总统对埃及总统穆巴拉克的辞职表示欢迎。他呼吁军队取消紧急状态,开始为自由平等的选举做准备。他表示,他对埃及的政治前景非常乐观。
“这并不是埃及转变的结束,而是开始。当然,未来的日子将面临许多困难,仍然有许多问题没有得到解决。但是我确信,埃及民众可以找到解决的方法,并且以和平,建设性的方法,以过去几周所体现的团结统一的精神来实现。”
其他世界领袖,包括联合国秘书长潘基文在内也做出了反应。潘基文表示,埃及民众的意愿得到了尊重。
在突尼斯,上月,民众推翻了自己的总统。现在,街道上的人们载歌载舞,过往的汽车纷纷鸣笛对穆巴拉克的辞职表示庆祝。巴勒斯坦领土内也举行了庆祝活动。控制着加沙地带的哈马斯运动表示,这是埃及革命的开始。
穆巴拉克因在军队中表现出色被任命为副总统。1981年总统安瓦尔·萨达特(Anwar Sadat)被暗杀之后,穆巴拉克成为埃及领袖。Caroline Hawley对穆巴拉克的政治生涯作出了评估。
1981年萨达特总统被暗杀之后,穆巴拉克在一片混乱中成为埃及总统。穆巴拉克是一名军人,他的政府以牺牲人权为代价来保持国家的稳定,但是却受到伊斯兰激进分子的强烈反对,他的统治受到穆斯林兄弟会的挑战,最近则受到由突尼斯革命刺激的不断增长的世俗抗议。他们促使民众走向街头抗议。穆巴拉克总统作出了一系列让步,但是太少了,也太迟了。
1.greet v.(以某种方式)对…作出反应
例句:His speech was greeted with loud cheers.
他的讲话受到听众热烈的欢呼。
欢迎, 迎接, 致意, 问候
例句:The host greeted us at the gate.
主人在大门口迎接我们。
ddress,greet,salute,hail,welcomeaddress侧重打招呼的方式或指所使用的称谓。
这些动词均有“欢迎、致敬,致意,招呼”之意。
greet常指友好而热诚地欢迎。
salute正式用词,指用敬礼、亲吻或挥帽等动作向他人致意或问候,尤指以某种礼节欢迎某人。
hail主要指怀着敬意欢迎某人,侧重欢快轻松和嘈杂。也指隔得较远的高声招呼。
welcome多指热情的官方的或正式的迎接或欢迎,但也指一般的欢迎。
2.outburst n.(蒸汽, 怒气等的)爆发, 突发
例句:His outbursts of anger shock people.
他的勃然大怒使人们为之震惊。
3.determination n.决心;果断;坚定; 决定
例句:Firm determination moves mountains.
坚定的决心可以移山。
4.radical adj.根本的, 基本的; 彻底的, 完全的
例句:The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.
病人在医院得到了根治。
He made a radical change in the plan.
他对计划做了彻底的修改。
5.partly adv.部分地, 不完全地
例句:This is partly a political and partly a legal question.
这个问题部分是政治问题, 部分是法律问题。
6.stubbornness n.倔强;顽固
7.hostile adj.怀有敌意的, 不友善的
例句:Their hostile looks showed that he was unwelcome.
他们怀敌意的表情说明他不受欢迎。
8.assumption n.假定, 臆断,假设
例句:We mistook assumption that the price would fall.
我们错误地认为价格会下降。
9.jubilation n.欢腾,欢庆;庆祝活动
例句:The goal was greeted by jubilation from the home fans.
主场球迷为进球欢呼。
10.concession n.让步,承认,特许
1.This woman was delighted that the protesters achieved their goal without having to resort to violence.
resort to诉诸于…,求助于,使用…
例句:resort to violence
采用暴力
2.For 18 days, the stubbornness of one elderly man has been pitted against the will of millions here.
pit against使与…相斗
例句:He pitted John against Paul.
他使约翰反对保罗。
They pitted two cocks against each other.
他们使两只公鸡相斗。
3.The generals were inclined to side with the president, one of their own, and the more junior officers sympathised with the demonstrators.
incline to(使)具有…倾向
例句:The color is yellow inclining to green.
那颜色是黄中带绿的。
I incline to tiredness in winter.
我在冬天易感疲倦。
4.President Mubarak made a series of concessions.
a series of一系列
例句:The post office will issue a series of new stamps.
邮局将要发行一套新邮票。
1.It's still too soon to know for certain what made Mr Mubarak step down, but it seems a reasonable assumption that the army leadership could see the hairline cracks appearing among their own officer corps.
but表示转折。assumption that中的that引导的是同位语从句,指代的是assumption。see the hairline cracks appearing,see sb doing sth看到某人正在做某事,看到某事正在发生。
2.It was amid turmoil that Hosni Mubarak became president when his predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
it强调句
一、it强调句型的构成:
It be 被强调部分 that(强调部分指人做主语时时用who,指人做宾语时用whom) 句子的其他部分。
例如:
Mary met an old beggar in the street yesterday.
It was Mary who/that met an old beggar in the street yesterday.
(强调主语)
It was an old beggar whom/that Mary met in the street yesterday.(强调宾语)
It was yesterday that Mary met an old beggar in the street.(强调时间状语)
It was in the street that Mary met an old beggar yesterday.(强调地点状语)
注意:it强调句型不能强调句子的谓语。
二、not…until结构强调句型的构成:
It be not until部分 that 句子的其他部分。
例如:
He didn''t go to bed until his father came back..
变为强调句型为:
It was not until his father came back that he went to bed.注意原句中的didn''t go部分中的not提前后,剩下did go变为went.
本文开头提到的两个句子都是not..until结构用于强调句型。那么把这两句话变回正常的语序则为:
1)…but he didn''t make his most important discovery until after the war.
2)The importance of Fleming''s discovery was not fully recognized until World War II.