VOA慢速英语2014 激进视频显示第二名美国记者遭杀害

 

Militant¹ Video Shows Killing² of Second US Reporter 激进视频显示第二名美国记者遭杀害

Militants³ of the Islamic State group released a video Tuesday claiming to show the execution of a second American reporter.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said officials are investigating whether the content of the video is real. If it is, Ms. Psaki said, "we are sickened."

In the video, reporter Steven Sotloff appears in an orange jumpsuit near a man in black with his face hidden.  Mr. Sotloff was on his knees in a desert area similar to that shown in the recent video of the execution of U.S. reporter Jim Foley.

The militant in this latest video made a threat against a British hostage he called David Haines.  The militant warned governments to back off "this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State.”

It was unclear when the video was shot.

Mr. Sotloff was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013.  He was working for Time and Foreign Policy magazines at the time.

A spokesman for President Barack Obama’s administration said he could not confirm the execution. But he said "our thoughts and prayers" are with Mr. Sotloff’s family.

Pakistani Parliament Support PM Sharif

Pakistan’s parliament opened an emergency meeting Tuesday. It expressed political support for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Thousands of protesters opposed to his rule gathered outside the building at the same time.

The protesters have repeatedly demanded the prime minister’s resignation and a new election. They say Mr. Sharif’s party won the election by cheating.

Three weeks of anti-government protest in Islamabad have led to fears of a military overthrow⁴ in the country. 

Did US Drone Strike Kill al-Shabab Leader?

Officials are trying to learn whether a U.S. drone attack in Somalia killed Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of militant group al-Shabab. 

Somali officials said Monday's attack targeted top al-Shabab leaders meeting in southern Somalia. Witnesses said the drone targeted three vehicles traveling on a road.  They say several missiles hit two of the vehicles but the third may have escaped.

Ahmed Abdi Godane is 37 years old. The U.S. State Department has named him one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

NATO to Meet on Russia and Middle East

The leaders of the 28 NATO member countries will gather for the first time in two years starting Thursday in the Welsh city of Cardiff.

Delegates are to talk about the possible establishment of a force that could deploy⁵ quickly in reaction to threats in eastern Europe.  That discussion may center on the conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists.  

NATO leaders will also discuss the threat from the Islamic State militant group that has captured large parts of Iraq and Syria. The U.S. has carried out air strikes targeting the group. And the U.S. and other NATO members have been providing humanitarian⁶ aid.

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 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• 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。

3 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。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

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。