VOA慢速英语2014 伊斯兰国家的士兵推进到叙利亚边境小镇kobani

 

Islamic State Group Fighters Closer to Syrian Town Kobani 伊斯兰国家的士兵推进到叙利亚边境小镇kobani

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Islamic State militants² will soon capture the Syrian border town of Kobani.

The United States-led coalition³ launched more airstrikes Tuesday. But, the attacks did not halt the militants’ movement toward the mostly Kurdish town.

The U.S. military reports that airstrikes Monday night and early Tuesday hit militant¹ targets near Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab. The strikes destroyed targets including a vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery⁴.

Mr. Erdogan said the militant group will take control of the area unless troops on the ground can stop them.

Reports say about 400 people have been killed in the three-week battle for the town.

U.S. Budgets $750 Million for Ebola Over Six Months

The U.S. military says its efforts to help end the Ebola crisis in Liberia will cost $750 million over a period of six months.

The commander of U.S. troops in Africa, David Rodriguez, told reporters that the military set up two more mobile medical laboratories last week. The labs help to quickly identify infected people.

Four thousand U.S. service members are part of the anti-Ebola effort. General Rodriguez says he believes they are well trained to avoid infection.

Myanmar Sets Free More Than 3,000 Prisoners

The government of Myanmar announced Tuesday that it will free more than 3,000 prisoners. The release is to take place before the country holds an important international political meeting next month.

A spokesman of the information ministry⁵ told VOA that President Thein Sein ordered the release. The spokesman said the leader acted for humanitarian⁶ reasons.

But the human rights group Amnesty International says Myanmar’s government still needs to do more. They say there are still many political prisoners in jail who are not on the list of those being released.

The military ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, from 1962 through 2011. 

President Sein, a former general, took power in 2011. He has released more than 1,000 political prisoners since then. He had promised to release all of them by last year.  

Inventors of Energy-Saving Lights Win 2014 Nobel Prize

Two Japanese scientists and a Japanese-born American scientist have won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics. They invented lights known as LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which use less energy than traditional devices.

The Nobel committee said Tuesday the technology helped save Earth’s natural resources, and that the “21st century will be lit by LED lamps.”

Words in this Story

coalition – n. forces, groups or nations joined together

troops – n. a number of soldiers in a large controlled group

spokesman – n. a person who makes statements on behalf of a group or individual

natural resources – n. materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 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。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• 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。