VOA慢速英语2015 美国参议员呼吁派遣地面部队打击激进分子

 

AS IT IS 2015-02-03 US Senator Calls for Ground Troops to Fight IS Militants² 美国参议员呼吁派遣地面部队打击激进分子

United States Senator Lindsey Graham says there must be a change to the strategy in the fight against the Islamic State militant¹ group. The Senator from the state of South Carolina spoke³ Sunday on the American television news program, “Face The Nation.”

He said President Barack Obama has the right goal but the wrong plan to defeat the Islamic State group. He said an air campaign will not destroy the group. He said the effort requires ground troops.

The Islamic State group has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq. Mr. Graham called for the formation of a regional force to enter Syria and recapture territory from the Islamic State Group. He said about 10,000 U.S. soldiers should work with Arab armies in the area.

Jordan still waiting for “proof of life”

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh also appeared Sunday on “Face the Nation.” He said his government does not know the fate of a Jordanian fighter pilot who the Islamic State captured and threatened with death.

Mr. Judeh said the government has renewed its promise to release a female Iraqi rebel sentenced to death in Jordan.

"We have said publicly that, if there is proof of life, and if our pilot is released, we are willing to release this woman. But, like I said, so far we have seen no proof of life, which we have been asking for.”

Militants captured the pilot in December, after his fighter plane was shot down over an Islamic State-controlled area of Syria.

Japanese reporter executed

Islamic State militants executed one of their hostages last week, a reporter from Japan. The international community condemned⁴ the beheading of 47-year-old Kenji Goto. The act was reportedly recorded on video and released Saturday.

The U.N. Security Council Sunday called the killing⁵ "heinous⁶ and cowardly." It said those responsible "shall be held accountable."

President Obama called the act barbaric, and said he promised “to continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State group.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday he was extremely angered by Mr. Goto’s beheading and that of fellow Japanese Haruna Yukawa a week earlier. On Monday, Mr. Abe said his government would not give in to terrorists. He also said Japan would increase its humanitarian⁷ aid to the Middle East. 

The prime minister urged Japanese lawmakers to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens wherever they are. He also said the government should not limit the places to which the country’s defense⁸ forces can be deployed⁹ to defend allies.

Heroic journalist

Michael Cucek is a Japan-based expert from the MIT Center for International Studies. He said Prime Minister Abe’s government wants to debate easing restrictions¹⁰ on military rescue operations.

"They have an idea that they need forces that can hold a position, whether it’s an airport or a seaport¹¹ allowing Japanese self-defense forces to extract Japanese civilians¹² from danger zones."

However, he said studies of the Japanese public suggest it does not want any major changes to its constitution. He added that the Japanese public considers Kenji Goto a heroic journalist.

Mr. Cucek said, "He reported on the children of war zones, on refugees. He really went into some very, very dangerous places and came out again every time, but a man of tremendous bravery who was trying to report on what was going on in the world from ground level.”

He said many Japanese did not know of the reporter when he was alive. “But everyone knows him now,” he said.

Words in this Story

strategy – n.  a careful plan or method for achieving a goal usually over a long period of time

barbaric – adj. very cruel

extract – v. to remove

bravery – n. the quality that allows someone to do things that are dangerous or frightening: the quality or state of being brave 

fate – n. the things that will happen to a person or thing: the future that someone or something will have

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 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。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 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。

6 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

7 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。

8 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。

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 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

11 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。