时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2014年(四月)


英语课

 


Complications Cloud Russia's Ukraine Ambitions 俄罗斯对乌克兰的野心满布疑云


LONDON — Pro-Russian protests in several eastern Ukraine cities over the weekend, including the takeover of a government building in one city, have heightened concerns Russia might try to take control of the region just as it annexed 1 Crimea last month.


Russia withdrew one unit from its border with Ukraine last week in an apparent gesture to ease tensions. Tens of thousands of troops remain, officially participating in an exercise, but it's the kind of exercise that could quickly become something else, according to the commander of NATO's sizable military force.


"The force that is at the Ukrainian border now to the east is very, very sizable and very, very ready," said U.S. Gen. Phillip Breedlove.


And it faces a much smaller Ukrainian force, including many reservists and new volunteers.


NATO forces are relatively 2 far away and officials have made clear they do not want to go to war with Russia over Ukraine. It seems that eastern Ukraine, with its large ethnic 3-Russian population is there for the taking, if Russian leaders decide they want it. But is a large area and difficult to defend.


Russia expert Igor Sutyagin, of London's Royal United Services Institute, does not think an invasion is imminent 4.


“To secure that, in a tight manner, you need such an enormous amount of troops," he said. "So it’s possible to invade, it’s possible to seize some parts of Ukraine, but it’s probably impossible to keep them.”


At the International Institute for Strategic Studies, retired 5 British Brigadier Ben Barry says Russia could also face other challenges in eastern Ukraine, where the percentage of ethnic Russians is much lower than in Crimea.


“There would be the prospect 6 of some sort of long-term Ukrainian people’s war, guerrilla movement, terrorism," he said, "something that would militarily oppose the occupation by the Russian forces in the long term.”


In addition, the international community would likely increase the economic and diplomatic isolation 7 imposed on Russia because of the Crimea takeover.  International moves so far have been criticized as weak.


But Russia expert Sutyagin says they are already costing Russia tens of billions of dollars and serve as a significant deterrent 8 to further adventurism.


“Economic measures being undertaken by NATO members are much more serious than any sanctions or military moves,” Sutyagin said.


 


Experts also say Russia could achieve many of its apparent goals for Ukraine without invading again, including the weakening of the Kyiv government’s influence in the east, making the region economically dependent on Russia, and sending a message to NATO not to even consider putting troops on its border.



1 annexed
[法] 附加的,附属的
  • Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
  • The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。
2 relatively
adv.比较...地,相对地
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
3 ethnic
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
  • 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。
4 imminent
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的
  • The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
  • The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。
5 retired
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
6 prospect
n.前景,前途;景色,视野
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
7 isolation
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
8 deterrent
n.阻碍物,制止物;adj.威慑的,遏制的
  • Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
  • I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网,免得鸟歇上去。
学英语单词
ablation shields
administrative-law judge
adult movies
aerobic composting
amanita virgineoides
and I don't know what else
angle bead
antifear
arse-crack
atinga (nigeria)
aznars
balsam
benzeneazo cresol
ceiling on wages
cellasin
center for shipping information and advisory services
centralized adaptive routing
completely self-protected distribution transformer
copygraph
critical limit
daylight lighting
diamond training
dichotomist
Didah
dioristical
DO delivery order
dog's-leather
economy system science
equal opportunity for all
error absolute
error rate damping
Exochognathus
external profile diameter
Faladoira, Sa.da
fermentation cylinder
fettling door
flatteners
formosina ochracea
free-format
function
gomels
good-government
ground-out
herring roe
high-power broadcasting
high-speed calculator
ICI182780
in want
interest per day
intraocular microforceps
language science
man-induced event
Mangoni
measurement data transmission
milesina miyabei
moar elveation of boiling point
multilevel flash memories
mythicisations
Māni, Wādī al
narrative address
neo-conceptual
neuro-psychologists
nocturnus
ota
panama zephyr
pars sternocostalis (pericardii)
pearlitic cementite
physics class
pilot plunger
potch
protect environment
Radonin
rib-ticklers
robot technology
rod milling
runkle
rustinesses
self-complacent
selfabandonment
sleeved roller traction chain
social intelligence
sprogged
stage-specific
starter terminal stud
straw mushroom
sun-day
taxi-dancers
tendino-
the devonian
three-forked jump
tiwari
trumpet moonflower
tudes
tunicae uveae
under the premise
underdetermine
ustilaginous
vestibulo-cochlear artery
vrsceralgia
walk over sb.
walking up
whistness