短语讲解：

1. The protest took place near the Parliament building.

take place 发生
例句：Earthquakes take place far underground.
地震则发生在地球的极深处。

2. Thousands of people had marched through Athens to protest the latest austerity measures.

thousands of 数千的
例句：A computer consists of thousands of components.
电脑由成千上万个部件组成。