【听英文对话做选择】前线战役

Newscaster: We interrupt our regular scheduled news program to bring you live up-to-date coverage¹ on the civil unrest in the newly formed country of Karnak, where our man Stan Fielding is stationed. Stan . . .

Stan: This is Stan Fielding reporting live from the outskirts² of the capital city. Just 20 minutes ago, rebel forces launched the biggest offensive against the ruling government in the 18-month conflict here in this country.

 

Newscaster: Now Stan, is this a sign that the peace process has been totally abandoned?

 

Stan: Well, so far, peace negotiations³ have failed, and any resolution to quell⁴ the civil war appears bleak⁵ at this point. As you can see . . . Whoa.

 

Newscaster: Stan, Stan, are you there?

 

Stan: Uh, yes, Bob. As you can probably hear behind me, rebel forces are also using heavy artillery⁶ to pound government strongholds around the city center. Rebel forces are closing in, and it's feared that they will be able to take the capital building before sunup where it is believed, many government officials are holding out.

 

Newscaster: Now, besides the heavy fighting, what other pressing concerns are there for the citizens of the city?

 

Stan: Well, since the beginning of the conflict, starvation, clean water, and adequate shelter have been the biggest daily obstacles facing the citizens of this torn country. It is believed that over 40,000 people, mostly children, have starved to death. Land mines have claimed countless⁷ other lives. Fortunately, no epidemics⁸ have broken out, but that is always a concern if this war lingers on.

 

Newscaster: Okay, that was Stan Fielding reporting. And we will keep you up-to-date as this story continues to unfold.

 

1. Where is the news reporter, Stan Fielding, in the city?

A. at a military facility

B. in the suburbs

C. in the downtown area

2. How long has the civil war been going on for?

A. almost one year

B. just over a year

C. a year and a half

 

3. About what time of day is this news report taking place?

A. in the early afternoon

B. in the late evening

C. in the middle of the night

 

4. What is the main target of the rebels in this latest attack?

A. the current location of city leaders

B. military stockpiles of ammunition⁹

C. the main lines of transportation

 

5. Which is NOT a major problem as a result of the war so far?

A. infectious disease

B. lack of drinking water and food

C. insufficient¹⁰ housing

 

正确答案：

1. in the suburbs

2. a year and a half

3. in the middle of the night

4. the current location of city leaders

5. infectious disease

 

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• 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。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

5 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

6 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。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

9 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• 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。

10 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。