VOA标准英语2014--US Rejects Syria Vote as 'Sham'
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2014年(六月)
US Rejects Syria Vote as 'Sham 1'
STATE DEPARTMENT — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won re-election in a vote held in government-controlled parts of his war-torn country.
U.S. officials dismiss his re-election as a farce 2. But for Assad, the vote signals a sharper confrontation 3 to come, according to U.S. Institute of Peace analyst 4 Steve Heydemann.
"We have a Syrian regime that is going to dig in, is going to insist on its legitimacy 5. That view will be supported by Russia, Iran, China, other governments which have backed the Assad regime," said Heydemann. "And it means that any opportunity to try to close the gap and move the conflict toward a negotiated settlement has been significantly set back."
Iranian support for Assad in this vote included election observers.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who heads Iran's Parliamentary Committee for National Security, said, "Syrian people participated completely freely in these elections, and foreign and regional campaigns aiming at misleading the facts did not succeed in preventing Syrian people from practicing their right to choose their leadership."
Former U.S. ambassador Adam Ereli said the vote helps Iran to broaden its regional standing 6.
"That's why Iran is active in Syria. It is a defensive 7 move, in other words, keep your ally in power so their opponents don't. But it also maximizes Iranian influence."
A stronger Assad is partly the result of what former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford 8 calls a failed U.S. policy.
"We need, and we have long needed, to help moderates in the Syrian opposition 9 with both weapons and other non-lethal assistance," said Ford. "Had we done that a couple of years ago, had we ramped 10 it up, frankly 11 the al-Qaida groups that have been winning adherents 12 would have been unable to compete with the moderates."
State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the Obama administration is boosting support for the opposition.
"I think actually a lot of the frustration 13 you’ve heard people like Ambassador Ford talk about is that the situation is incredibly complicated and there are no easy answers, and that we are constantly looking at ways to increase our support," she said. "We are constantly looking at ways to get the parties back to the table."
But Heydemann said getting Assad, with his new electoral mandate 14, back to the negotiating table is far harder without a credible 15 military threat.
"If the regime feels that it has won militarily, if it feels that its survival is now ensured, if, because of Iranian support and Russian support and the participation 16 of Hezbollah, it no longer views the opposition as a threat, then its incentives 17 to negotiate disappear," he said.
Heydemann said the Obama administration has the opportunity to boost military support for the armed opposition, but so far has been unwilling 18 to do so in a way that would change Assad's calculus 19.
- They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
- His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。
- They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
- The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。
- We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
- After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
- Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
- Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
- The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
- They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
- If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。
- 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。
- With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
- They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。
- 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。
- He is a leader with many adherents. 他是个有众多追随者的领袖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The proposal is gaining more and more adherents. 该建议得到越来越多的支持者。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
- He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
- The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
- The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。
- The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
- Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？
- Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
- The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。
- tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
- Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
- His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。