Probe比investigate更有媒体缘_写作资料技巧

Probe比investigate更有媒体缘

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2009-03-04 06:15 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

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2007年12月27日，巴基斯坦前总理、巴人民党主席贝娜齐尔•布托遇刺身亡，至今谜雾重重。面对国内反对党的指责，巴总统穆沙拉夫只得向英国求援，由英国苏格兰场（Scotland Yard，伦敦警察局）派遣专家前往巴基斯坦协助调查。2008年1月4日，伦敦警察局派遣的6人专家团抵达巴首都伊斯兰堡。当时西方主要媒体都对此进行了报道，其中法新社（AFP）的一条新闻报道是这样说的：

Scotland Yard team arrives in Pakistan: officials

Fri Jan 4, 2008

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AFP) - A team of Scotland Yard investigators¹ have arrived in Pakistan to help probe the assassination² of former premier³ Benazir Bhutto, airport officials said Friday.

英国调查专家抵达巴之后，他们检查了贝•布托遇刺时乘坐的防弹汽车，前往贝•布托遇害前参加公众集会的拉瓦尔品第利亚卡特•巴格公园，在公园门口的贝•布托遇刺地点周围仔细查看现场，对制高点和关键地点进行拍照、测量和记录，然后还前往收治遇刺后的贝•布托的医院以及敛尸房进行了实地察看。

但是，贝•布托的丈夫和儿子对于上述调查并不卖帐，他们多次表示，巴基斯坦政府方面的调查将不能使他们信服，因此呼吁英国和美国支持该党要求联合国介入贝布托死因调查的请求。西方媒体于是又有相关报道，如美联社（AP）的一篇报道的标题和导语是这样的：

Bhutto's husband calls for UN probe

By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer

Fri Jan 5, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The husband of slain⁴ opposition⁵ leader Benazir Bhutto on Saturday accused elements within Pakistan's government of responsibility for her murder and urged Britain and the United States to support a U.N. investigation⁶ into the killing⁷.

Bhutto's son demands UN probe into mother's assassination

AFP via Yahoo! News - Jan 08 9:26 AM

The son of Pakistan's slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto warned that the country faces disintegration⁸ unless upcoming elections are "free and fair," and demanded a UN probe into her death.

从上述三则新闻报道，我们可以发现，新闻媒体在表达“调查”这一意思的时候倾向于使用probe，而不是人们更加熟悉的investigate。在上述新闻报道中，虽然investigate的名词形式investigator和investigation都有出现，但probe显然占据了很显著的地位，无论是其作为动词还是名词，第二条和第三条新闻的标题中就使用了probe，而第一条新闻的导语中使用了probe这个动词，干脆没有出现investigate。

其实，在这里，investigate是完全可以使用的，因为它的释义就是“查明（犯罪、事故或科学问题的真相），调查，审查”。用于调查贝•布托遇刺的这一背景之下，investigate完全符合当前语境。但是，我们又发现，probe这个在普通英语中使用频率不如investigate的单词在新闻报道中出现的机会反而多一些，其中的原因就在于新闻英语喜欢使用一些短小精悍的单词，英语新闻无论是标题还是正文都力求用有限的字数来表达新闻的内容，为此，在措词上尤其要狠下功夫，选词尽可能经济达意、简短明了，偏爱选用那些短小精悍或字母最少的动词。这是因为短小易懂、形象生动的措词不仅能增强新闻的简洁性和可读性，而且还能节省版面篇幅。比如说，同样是“禁止”，新闻报道倾向于使用ban，而不是prohibit。Probe在新闻报道中的使用也就属于这一原因。《朗曼当代高级英语辞典》也提供了确凿证据，其对probe释义为a very thorough inquiry⁹ into something, used by newspapers（彻底调查，深入调查）并且明确指出这是报纸用语。

在关于贝•布托遇刺案调查的新闻报道中，媒体同期使用probe的频率确实相当高。比如说，《印度快报》1月9日的一则新闻报道说，曾经调查美国《华尔街日报》记者丹尼尔•珀尔5年前在巴基斯坦被杀案的侦探将参与调查贝•布托遇刺真相。该报道的标题和导语是这样的：

Detective who cracked Pearl case to probe Bhutto killing

Wednesday January 9, 03:31 PM

The Indian Express

The Pakistani detective, who cracked the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl five years ago, has joined the team probing the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.

Zubair Mahmood of the Federal Investigation Agency in the port city of Karachi has been deputed to join the Pakistani team working with investigators from Britain's Scotland Yard to probe the assassination.

在调查贝•布托遇刺案的同时，2008年元旦，一名美国外交官在苏丹首都喀土穆街头遭枪击后不治身亡。随后，美国国务院宣布，美国外交安全人员和美国联邦调查局组成一个联合小组，前往苏丹调查这一事件。西方媒体对此进行了报道，其中一则报道如下：

FBI agents arrive in Sudan to probe US diplomat¹⁰'s killing

Fri Jan 4, 2008

KHARTOUM (AFP) - FBI and other US investigators have arrived in the Sudanese capital to probe the killing of a US diplomat in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day, officials said Friday.

美国调查人员抵达苏丹之后，他们对谁是这起袭击事件的幕后指使展开了调查，相关新闻报道是这么说的：

U.S. agents probe Sudan attack claim

By Andrew Heavens

Fri Jan 5, 2008

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - U.S. security agents are investigating reports that a previously¹¹ unknown militant¹² group was behind the killing of a U.S. aid officer and his Sudanese driver in Khartoum, an embassy official said on Saturday.

在上述新闻发生的同时，联合国对刚果（金）的人权问题调查也引起了媒体的关注，有关媒体刊登了以下一篇报道：

UN rights investigators probe Congo

By EDDY¹³ ISANGO, Associated Press Writer

Fri Jan 5, 2008

GOMA, Congo - Congolese government forces summarily executed civilians¹⁴ and members of a politician's private militia¹⁵ and used excessive force during clashes with the militia last year, according to a preliminary report by U.N. human rights investigators.

The investigators had probed March clashes in Kinshasa, Congo's capital, between Congolese forces and security guards of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord who was runner-up in 2006 presidential elections.

在其他新闻报道中，probe的使用也相当普遍，比如：

Report: Feds probe Internet suicide

AP via Yahoo! News – Jan. 9, 29 minutes ago

A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena¹⁶ to MySpace.com in a probe stemming from the suicide of a Missouri teenager who received cruel messages on the networking site that turned out to be a hoax¹⁷, a newspaper reported.

FBI to probe Sikh brothers' murder in California

IANS via Yahoo! India News - Jan 08 10:45 PM

New York, Jan 9 (IANS) Police have sought the help of FBI's hate-crime investigators to probe the December killing of two Sikh brothers who ran a restaurant in California.

从上述新闻报道可以看出，probe很有新闻缘，西方媒体在表达“调查”这一意思的时候，他们首先想到的就是probe，而不是investigate。当然，作为一个使用更加普遍的单词，investigate用在上述新闻报道中也并无不妥，只是似乎可以这么说，probe是新闻媒体在表达“调查”这一意思时候的首选单词，其原因可能在于新闻英语喜欢使用音节少的单词，而investigate是一个使用范围很广的普通词汇。不过，在表示“调查人员”这一意思的时候，新闻媒体只使用investigator，而从未见过使用prober这一单词。

了解一些新闻英语常识，懂得同义词汇用法之间的一些细微差异，有助于我们更好地学习英语，把英语学的活一些，用的活一些，从而可以更好地帮助广大英语学习者提高英语综合应用能力。

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收听单词发音

1 investigators
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 assassination
n.暗杀；暗杀事件
参考例句：
The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。 Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

3 premier
adj.首要的；n.总理，首相
参考例句：
The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。 He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

4 slain
杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)
参考例句：
The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。 His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

5 opposition
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。

6 investigation
n.调查，调查研究
参考例句：
In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。 He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 disintegration
n.分散，解体
参考例句：
This defeat led to the disintegration of the empire.这次战败道致了帝国的瓦解。 The incident has hastened the disintegration of the club.这一事件加速了该俱乐部的解体。

9 inquiry
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。 The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

10 diplomat
n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人
参考例句：
The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。 He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

11 previously
adv.以前，先前（地）
参考例句：
The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。 Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

12 militant
adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士
参考例句：
Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

13 eddy
n.漩涡，涡流
参考例句：
The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。 In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

14 civilians
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。

15 militia
n.民兵，民兵组织
参考例句：
First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。 There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 subpoena
n.（法律）传票；v.传讯
参考例句：
He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。 Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

17 hoax
v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧
参考例句：
They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。 They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

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