时间:2018-12-02 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2008年12月


英语课

  Israeli warplanes continue to hit suspected Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Palestinian militants 2 are keeping up their rocket and mortar 3 attacks on Israeli border communities.

以色列的战机继续轰炸加沙地区被认为是哈马斯的目标。与此同时,巴勒斯坦激进分子持续向以色列边境地区发射火箭弹和迫击炮弹。

The violence erupted after a six-month Hamas-Israeli ceasefire expired on December 19. The Palestinian militant 1 group stepped up its shelling of Israeli communities, prompting the massive Israeli response.

这次暴力冲突是在12月19号执行了六个月的哈马斯-以色列停火协议到期之后爆发的。巴勒斯坦激进组织哈马斯加紧了对以色列的炮火攻击,从而引发了以色列的大规模报复。

Many analysts 4 say this is the biggest military offensive against Gaza since Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel's Defense 5 Minister, Ehud Barak, said the country is currently engaged in an all-out conflict against Hamas.

许多分析人士说,这是自从以色列1967年通过六日战争占领约旦河西岸和加沙地带以来对加沙发动的最大规模的军事进攻。以色列国防部长巴拉克说,以色列目前在同哈马斯进行全面交战。

David Aaron, Director of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, said that rhetoric 6 is all too familiar.

美国兰德公司中东地区公共政策中心主任大卫.阿龙说,这种说法听起来实在太熟悉了。

"They [the Israelis] made a basic strategic decision to sort of end it once and for all. Well, unfortunately, we've heard that story before in their invasion of Lebanon [in 2006], which did not eradicate 7 Hezbollah. But it has stopped Hezbollah from carrying out attacks against northern Israel," he said.

他说:“以色列作出了一个基本战略决定,那就是一劳永逸地解决这个问题。不幸的是,在以色列2006年入侵黎巴嫩之前,我们也听到过这样的说法,但是以色列并没能根除真主党。不过,它的确通过那次行动阻止了真主党对以色列北部发动袭击。”

The militant group Hamas has been in control of the Gaza Strip since June 2007, after it defeated forces loyal to the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The United States considers Hamas to be a terrorist group and has accused it of starting this latest round of violence.

激进组织哈马斯自从2007年6月击败温和的巴勒斯坦民族机构主席阿巴斯领导的部队以来就一直控制着加沙。美国认为哈马斯是一个恐怖组织,并指责哈马斯挑起了最近的暴力冲突。

Fawaz Gerges is a Middle East expert at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Speaking from Tripoli, Lebanon, he said the strong Israeli response has radicalized Arab public opinion in the region.

法瓦兹.盖尔盖斯是纽约莎拉.罗伦斯学院的中东问题专家。他在黎巴嫩的的黎波里接受采访时说,以色列激烈的报复行为使中东地区的阿拉伯民意变得更加激进。

"And it seems to me that the longer the crisis continues, the more radicalized Arab public opinion will likely become. There is no military solution for an essentially 8 political crisis. Regardless of what one thinks of Hamas, the way that Israel has acted in the last few days is playing into Hamas' hands. The military escalation 9 and the extent and the horrendous 10 casualties on the Palestinian side are playing directly into Hamas' hands. They are weakening the moderate forces in the Arab world, particularly America's allies - Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia - and basically supplying ammunition 11 to the so-called resistance front, particularly Iran and Syria and Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon," argued Gerges.

他说:“我认为,这场危机持续的时间越长,阿拉伯世界的民意就可能会变得越激进。从根本上说,这是一场政治危机,因此无法用军事行动来解决。不管你怎么看哈马斯,以色列最近几天采取的行动其实是正中哈马斯的下怀。军事冲突升级和巴勒斯坦方面令人吃惊的伤亡情况都符合哈马斯的计划。这削弱了阿拉伯世界的温和力量,特别是埃及、约旦和沙特阿拉伯这些美国的盟友,并从根本上为所谓的抵抗前线提供了口实,特别是伊朗、叙利亚、巴勒斯坦的哈马斯和黎巴嫩的真主党。”

David Aaron from RAND agreed, saying the crisis puts U.S. allies in the region in a difficult situation.

兰德公司的大卫.阿龙同意这种观点。他说,这场危机使美国在中东地区的盟友处境艰难。

"It puts them more on the spot because we have given them no coverage 12. If we had decided 13 to simply call for a ceasefire and stoppage of violence and all the rest, that would have given them some cover. But we didn't. We said, 'This is the fault of Hamas.' Even if that's true, it certainly is not perceived that way in those countries. And so their governments are going to be the target of increased criticism on the part of their people for collaborating 14 with us," he said.

他说:“这使它们的处境很为难,因为美国并没有为它们提供任何帮助。如果美国直接要求停火,结束暴力冲突,那么这些国家还能少受一些攻击。不过美国没有这样做。美国说‘这都是哈马斯的错。’即使事实真是这样,这些国家的人民却不是这么看的。所以这些国家的政府因为和美国合作而受到自己人民越来越多的批评。”

Aaron also said the United States and its allies should be concerned about what may happen on the West Bank. Will there be another intifada, an armed Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule?

他还说,美国及其盟国应当关注约旦河西岸的未来。那里是否会再次爆发反抗以色列统治的巴勒斯坦武装起义呢?

Many experts, including Aaron, said the latest conflict was in part due to the Bush administration's Middle East policy.

大卫.阿龙和许多专家说,布什政府的中东政策是导致最新的暴力冲突的部分原因。

"I think it was a complete failure. It didn't do anything, frankly 15. We did finally get some conversation between [Mahmoud] Abbas and [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert. But then nobody knows where that was going and we see this conflict arising now. And it's hard for me to believe that that's going to strengthen the hand of those who want a dialogue with the Palestinians," he said.

他说:“我认为,布什政府的中东政策完全失败了。坦率讲,它并没有发挥任何作用。我们的确实现了在阿巴斯和奥尔默特之间进行对话,但是没人知道这些对话能带来什么,而我们目前看到的就是这场冲突。我不会相信这场冲突能加强巴勒斯坦方面支持对话的人的力量。”

The Bush administration says it has been consistently engaged in trying to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

布什政府表示,美国一直在积极努力为巴以危机找到解决办法。

Fawaz Gerges said one way to come closer to a political solution is to include Hamas in the process. But that, he said, will come about only if there is a different mindset.

法瓦兹.盖尔盖斯说,一个接近政治解决的办法是让哈马斯加入中东和平进程。不过他说,要这么做,美国政府必须改变其思维模式。

"A mindset that says Hamas is not a monolith, that yes, Hamas engages in terrorism, Hamas carries out certain terrorist actions, but Hamas is not just a huge monolith. There are multiple points of view and narratives 16 within Hamas. And political engagement, I would argue, will likely strengthen the moderate elements not only within the region, but also within the Palestinian territories. In fact, I would argue, that a year from now, Hamas will likely remain as strong if not stronger - particularly if Israel and the United States insist on exclusion 17 and on basically pursuing the military option, which basically will not really produce a breakthrough for this essentially political crisis in the region," he said.

他说:“新的思维模式应该承认哈马斯并不是铁板一块的一个实体。哈马斯的确参与恐怖主义,实施一些恐怖主义行动,但它并不是单一无逢的。在哈马斯内部有多种观点和言论。我认为,和哈马斯开展政治接触可以增强中东地区内部和巴勒斯坦恐怖分子内部温和派的力量。事实上,我认为,一年以后,哈马斯能保持目前的实力,甚至变得更强大,特别是如果以色列和美国坚持把哈马斯排斥在和平进程以外、并继续采取军事途径的话。中东的危机从根本上说是政治危机,用军事方法不能实现任何突破。”

Fawaz Gerges and David Aaron said a lot may change between now and January 20 when Barack Obama is officially sworn in as the new U.S. President. But they said one thing is clear - the current conflict proves that finding a political solution to the Middle East crisis should be the first item on President Obama's foreign policy agenda.

法瓦兹.盖尔盖斯和大卫.阿龙都说,从现在到明年1月20号奥巴马宣誓就任美国总统期间,许多事情都可能发生改变。不过他们说,有一点是清楚的,那就是,为中东危机找到政治解决方案应当是奥巴马外交政策议程上的首要任务。



1 militant
adj.激进的,好斗的;n.激进分子,斗士
  • 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。
2 militants
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )
  • 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。
3 mortar
n.灰浆,灰泥;迫击炮;v.把…用灰浆涂接合
  • The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
  • The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。
4 analysts
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
5 defense
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
6 rhetoric
n.修辞学,浮夸之言语
  • Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗?
  • Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后,他和军队的关系岌岌可危。
7 eradicate
v.根除,消灭,杜绝
  • These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
  • They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。
8 essentially
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
9 escalation
n.扩大,增加
  • The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
  • Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句
10 horrendous
adj.可怕的,令人惊惧的
  • He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
  • The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。
11 ammunition
n.军火,弹药
  • A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
  • They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。
12 coverage
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖
  • There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
  • This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
13 decided
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
14 collaborating
合作( collaborate的现在分词 ); 勾结叛国
  • Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
  • He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福?汤姆逊学习,而且也是在和他合作。
15 frankly
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
16 narratives
记叙文( narrative的名词复数 ); 故事; 叙述; 叙述部分
  • Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点,然而也是一个伟大的开始。
  • This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。
17 exclusion
n.拒绝,排除,排斥,远足,远途旅行
  • Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
  • He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球,其他运动一概不参加。
学英语单词
1-tetradecylene
AFD (anode-to film distance)
aleurolobus rubus
annular quencher
atonic
auto-oriented
automatic level-regulator
bartramidula roylei
be a good fit
blanket properties
Book of Tobit
Callicarpa erythrosticta
Canuckistan
cargo outturn message
Catostomidae
chickadee
coasting braking test
coccycephalic monster
codifies
coke velocity
coolant circulating system
crangrape
cross - functional teams
crown-glass
ctenitis kawakamii
customs (cust)
death-bell
delivery instructions
democratic atmosphere
desmodium buergeri miq.
desmoplasia
deviation mean
disembarked
disruptive gradient
encephalitides
enlarged-scale
enzyme inducing interaction
ethyltriphenylsilicane
evanishing
fallowfield
ferrithorite
fibril acid
Flindt's spots
foreglance
gamma-ray burster
give the big eye
grid conduztance
heattreatability
Helfenberg
hysterolithiasis
inactive character
ingot tilter
interconnection matrix
kajis
korea bays
kudoa lutjanus
labial frenum
Lake Williams
machine dependence
mad-dogged
Magnolia liliflora Desr.
main entry
maximum hot-water heating load
maximum-contrast
meningioma
Mollinox
moment of bending
Nebraskan Glacial Stage
Nivernais
noncriminal
optical antenna
overdefine
oyez
paediatric threpsology
palaeo-encephalon
Philips head screw
plot paths of trains
porkiest
postconvulsive stupor
protohemins
pseudocercospora actinidiicola
refrigerating capacity of swept volume
revocable offer
scorifies
selection of scionwood
succrescent
telomophyta
tenonometer
terminal input buffer
Texas City
thank God
The Economic Contract Law of the People's Republic of China
they are calling
time resolved spectrometer
timebands
tympanostomy
unappetizings
unlettable
wheatstalk
WHSmith
worder
zig-zag system