VOA慢速英语2014 奥巴马准备宣布打击伊斯兰国计划

 

Obama to Present Plan to Stop Islamic State Militants² 奥巴马准备宣布打击伊斯兰国计划

President Barack Obama plans to give a television speech about his plan to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The Obama administration said the president will discuss the threat, and he will offer his plan for “degrading and ultimately destroying” the Islamic State group.

The president met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other officials on Tuesday. They discussed possible military actions including whether to expand U.S. airstrikes on militant¹ bases in Iraq and Syria. However, the president has stated that American ground troops will not be used.

Public opinion studies in the U.S. show increasing support for air attacks on the Islamic State group. Public concern grew after Islamic State videos showing the beheading of two reporters were widely broadcast.

However, some lawmakers have expressed concern of increased U.S. involvement in the Middle East. The president met Tuesday with the top four congressional leaders. He met with Democrat³ Harry⁴ Reid and Republican Mitch McConnell from the Senate. He also spoke⁵ with the House Republican leader, Speaker John Boehner, and the top House Democrat, Nancy Pelosi.

Senator McConnell is calling for a congressional vote on President Obama’s plan for attacking the militants.

Government officials are to discuss the Islamic State threat and the U.S. answer with all 535 members of Congress in the next few days.

At Least 400 dead from Flooding in India and Pakistan

Rescue workers from Pakistan and India are rushing to reach thousands of people trapped by heavy rains and flooding. Over 400 people have died in the two countries as a result of the heavy monsoon⁶ rains.

Indian and Pakistani troops have used boats and helicopters to rescue people in danger and leave food supplies for victims. The floods have affected⁷ both sides of the divided Kashmir area leaving villages and military bases under water. Floods have also heavily damaged areas of Punjab province in Pakistan.

In India, politicians have called for the government to act quickly. The flooding is the first major humanitarian⁸ emergency for new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has called the floods a “national disaster.” In Pakistan, where over 200 people have died, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has faced street protests and increasing calls for his resignation.

Cease-fire in Ukraine Holds

A cease-fire between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine has largely held. But there are reports of light weapons fire and shelling in the city of Donetsk.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense⁹ Council spokesman said five Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the cease-fire began last Friday. He said pro-Russian separatists have released 648 Ukrainian prisoners under terms of the ceasefire agreement.

On Tuesday, Russia said it hoped that talks between Ukraine and the rebels would start soon. These talks would deal with areas already held by the separatists. Ukraine and separatist representatives signed an agreement in Minsk, Belarus on Friday setting out ways to ease the five-month conflict.

German Chancellor¹⁰ Angela Merkel directly blamed Russian involvement for the crisis in Ukraine. However, Chancellor Merkel said restrictions¹¹ were the only likely form of intervention¹².

British Leaders Urge Scotland to Reject Independence

Britain’s prime minister and main opposition¹³ leader have joined in an effort to persuade the people of Scotland not to vote for independence. Prime Minister David Cameron asked Scots to vote no in a special referendum. Labor¹⁴ leader Ed Miliband will also travel to Scotland. The leaders said their message to the people of Scotland is simply this: “We want you to stay.”

Britain’s three main political parties also came together Tuesday to promise Scotland greater powers if it rejects independence. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is a Scottish labor politician, has called for a time limit on proposing the new powers for Scotland’s parliament. Scotland would receive greater influence over income tax and social spending in return for rejecting independence.

Two recent opinion studies suggest an increase in public support in Scotland for leaving the United Kingdom. A study released Tuesday noted¹⁵ that 38 percent would vote “yes” to independence, an increase of four percentage points. This has worried Britain’s political leaders. The vote is set for September 18.

WHO Sets Out Plans to Prevent Ebola Spread

The World Health Organization is releasing a new two-step plan to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. The WHO said the same virus is affecting five West African countries. But the organization says the disease is spreading at different speeds depending on the country. The WHO said it is centering its efforts on preventing the spread of the disease in Nigeria and Senegal.

In these countries, there have been few cases and transmission is low. In these countries, it is easier to hospitalize patients. The WHO said a plan for fighting the disease in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be more complex because there are too few health care workers and hospital beds in those countries.

The organization announced on Tuesday that the number of those killed in the Ebola outbreak this year has reached 2296.

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 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 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。

9 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。

10 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 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。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。