纽约时报 乌克兰边境紧张局势升级(2)

 

 

    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia presided over tests of nuclear-capable missiles as part of what Russia insists are nothing more than exercises and not the precursor¹ to an invasion.

    俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京主持了可携带核弹头的导弹试验，俄罗斯坚称，这些试验只不过是演习的一部分，而不是入侵的前兆。

    Tensions between the United States and Russia have not been this high since the Cold War,美国和俄罗斯之间的紧张局势自冷战以来从未达到如此高度，and Russia’s nuclear drills appeared carefully timed to deter² the West from direct military involvement in Ukraine.

    俄罗斯的核演习似乎是精心安排的时间，以阻止西方对乌克兰进行直接军事干预。

    Western leaders gathering³ in Munich issued repeated calls for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis,聚集在慕尼黑的西方领导人多次呼吁通过外交途径解决危机，despite President Biden’s claim on Friday that Mr. Putin had already decided⁴ to invade Ukraine.

    尽管拜登总统周五称普京已经决定入侵乌克兰。

    The leaders displayed a remarkably⁵ united front in what Vice⁶ President Kamala Harris called “a defining moment” for European security and the defense⁷ of democratic values.

    在副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯所说的欧洲安全和捍卫民主价值观的“决定性时刻”中，各国领导人表现出了惊人的统一团结。

    But in Ukraine, the fighting edged perilously⁸ closer to a tipping point.

    但在乌克兰，战斗正危险地接近一个临界点。

    And there were alarming signs of what American officials described as possible precursors⁹ to a pretext¹⁰ for a Russian invasion.

    还有一些令人担忧的迹象，美国官员称这些迹象可能为俄罗斯入侵提供了借口。

    Intense artillery¹¹ barrages¹² targeted a pocket of government-controlled territory around the town of Svitlodarsk,密集的炮火袭击了斯维特洛达斯克附近政府控制的一小块地区。

    a spot that has worried security analysts¹³ for weeks for its proximity¹⁴ to dangerous industrial infrastructure¹⁵, including storage tanks for poisonous gas.

    这个地方由于靠近危险的工业基础设施，包括有毒气体储罐，几周来一直令安全分析人士担忧。

    A stray shell from returning government fire risks hitting a chemical plant about six miles away in separatist-controlled territory.

    从政府返回的炮弹中，一枚脱落的炮弹可能击中了六英里外分裂分子控制地区的一家化工厂。

    The plant, one of Europe’s largest fertilizer factories, has pressurized tanks and more than 12 miles of pipelines¹⁶ holding poisonous ammonia gas.

    这家化肥厂是欧洲最大的化肥厂之一，拥有加压罐和长达12英里的有毒氨气管道。

    An explosion there could produce a toxic¹⁷ cloud that could serve as an excuse for a Russian invasion,那里的爆炸可能会产生毒云，这可能会成为俄罗斯入侵的借口，or American officials have warned, Russia could stage its own explosion there to justify¹⁸ intervention¹⁹.

    或者美国官员警告称，俄罗斯可能会在那里上演自己的爆炸，以证明干预是合理的。

    Another potential flash point in the area, a water network that supplies drinking water to several million people on both sides of the conflict, may have been damaged by shelling on Saturday.

    该地区的另一个潜在引爆点是为冲突双方的数百万人提供饮用水的供水网络，该网络可能已被周六的炮击破坏。

    Russia’s Interfax news agency cited a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic saying that shelling had struck a pumping station and the water supply was at risk.

    俄罗斯国际文传电讯社援引自封的顿涅茨克人民共和国发言人的话说，炮火袭击了一个泵站，供水处于危险之中。

1 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

2 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• 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。

8 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

9 precursors   

n.先驱( precursor的名词复数 )；先行者；先兆；初期形式

参考例句：

• Phenyl (or polyphenyl) substituted epoxides serve as excellent precursors to phenyl (or diphenyl) carbenes. 某些苯代（或多苯）环氧乙烷是制取带苯环（或二苯）碳烯的极好原料。 来自辞典例句
• Note the presence of megakaryocytes, erythroid islands, and granulocytic precursors. 可见巨核细胞，红细胞岛和粒细胞前体细胞。 来自互联网

10 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

11 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• 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。

12 barrages   

n.弹幕射击( barrage的名词复数 )；火力网；猛烈炮火；河上的堰坝v.火力攻击（或阻击）( barrage的第三人称单数 )；以密集火力攻击（或阻击）

参考例句：

• In many Basidiomycetes barrages develop. 在许多担子菌中也发生一些栅栏。 来自辞典例句
• It's fun to be able to run around and do instant Barrages. 一边瞬发奥术弹幕一边四处跑确实很有趣。 来自互联网

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

14 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

15 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

16 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

17 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

18 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

19 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。