VOA标准英语2009年-In Sri Lanka, Aid Agencies Say Hospital Hit by
时间：2019-02-06 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2009年(二月)
In Sri Lanka, aid agencies say a crowded hospital in the northern war zone has been shelled, killing 1 at least nine people. The attack on the hospital comes amid growing concerns for an estimated 250,000 civilians 3 caught in the fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The United Nations spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, said Monday that shells have hit the "largest remaining functioning hospital" in the Wanni region, where the army is on an offensive to crush Tamil Tiger rebels.
"Throughout the day Sunday there were series of artillery 4 and rocket strikes quite close to the hospital and there were at least three direct hits on the hospital, the last of which was around midnight, last night, when what we think is about five shells hit the pediatric ward 5 killing and wounding a number of people," Weiss said.
The hospital is inside a 300-square-kilometer area in the northeast, in which Tamil rebels have been confined following a year-long military operation. Scores of wounded people, caught in the crossfire 6 between the two sides, have been heading to the medical facility in recent weeks. Aid agencies say many patients are lying on mattresses 7 in corridors.
The spokesperson for the International Committee of Red Cross in Colombo, Sophie Romanens, says the Red Cross team working at the hospital paints a grim picture.
"The staff there are under acute stress," Romanens said. "They are surrounded by the sound of the ongoing 8 fighting and the constant influx 9 of patients. There are ambulances constantly arriving. People are also brought by wagon 10, pick up trucks, tractor, any vehicles basically."
Aid agencies have expressed shock at the shelling and call it a significant breach 11 of international humanitarian 12 law. They say medical facilities must not be attacked, under any circumstances.
The army says it is not responsible for the shelling and blames it on the rebels.
Aid agencies say about 250,000 ethnic 13 Tamil civilians trapped in the area face hunger as food supplies dwindle 14. The Red Cross has urged both sides to allow safe passage for the wounded civilians.
Sri Lankan Defense 15 Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse has accused some diplomats 16 and several media organizations of sensationalizing civilian 2 hardships and warns that they will be expelled, if they seem to favor the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate Tamil homeland. In the last year, they have suffered huge reverses, losing most of the territory they controlled for nearly a quarter century.
- 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。
- There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
- He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。
- 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。
- This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
- The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。
- The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
- During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。
- They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
- When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。
- The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
- The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。
- The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
- The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
- The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
- Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
- We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
- He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。
- She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
- The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
- This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
- The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
- The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred.工厂雇员总数已经从4,000多人减少到几百人。
- He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority.他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。
- 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。