VOA慢速英语2015 有报告称美国军事援助乌克兰

 

Report: US Considers Military Aid to Ukraine 有报告称美国军事援助乌克兰

The New York Times newspaper says the administration of President Barack Obama is considering sending weapons to Ukraine. The aim would be to help the country fight Russian-supported rebels.

The newspaper reports that unnamed officials say top government officials are willing to consider sending military weapons and equipment to Ukrainian forces. The officials include Secretary of State John Kerry, Chairman of the Joint¹ Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey and the president's national security adviser².

The newspaper says Defense³ Secretary Chuck Hagel and the NATO military commander already support such a move.

The Times article reports that Secretary of State John Kerry plans to visit Kyiv on Thursday. The newspaper also says that an independent report being released Monday urges the U.S. to send $3 billion in defensive⁴ arms and equipment.  The proposal by eight former American officials is being debated.

In December, Mr. Obama signed legislation approving $350 million in military and non-military aid to Ukraine. On Sunday, President Obama said Russia has not shown that it is in their interest to solve the crisis.

The Ukraine conflict has killed more than 5,100 people since it started last April after Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula.

President sends $4 trillion budget to Congress

President Obama is to release his yearly plan for U.S. government spending on Monday. He is expected to call for $4 trillion in spending.

With the economy showing signs of improvement, the Obama administration believes the U.S. should increase spending on child care, education and health care.

The president’s budget is expected to cancel the spending cuts of recent years that have lowered government spending on many projects.

President Obama, a Democrat⁵, will face a Congress that is now fully⁶ controlled by Republicans. So experts expect disputes about how government money will be spent.

Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria is turned back

The Nigerian military says it has stopped another attempt by fighters belonging to the terrorist group Boko Haram to seize the important city of Maiduguri.

The attack on Sunday was the second in a week by the group. Boko Haram fighters attacked the city from two main roads. A VOA reporter said hundreds of civilians⁷ armed with rifles and other weapons ran toward the fighting to help soldiers stop the militants⁸.  

The attack happened two weeks before the country's planned elections.

Experts believe Boko Haram will try again to seize Maiduguri before the election.

China opposes President Obama meeting with the Dalai Lama

China says it does not want President Obama to meet with the Tibetean spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at the National Prayer Breakfast this week. The two are to attend the breakfast, but Obama administration officials have not said if they will meet. 

Chinese officials were angered when Mr. Obama met the Dalai Lama in Washington last February. It was the third meeting between the two men.

China believes the Dalai Lama supports Tibetan independence.

Bomb blast in Bangkok meant to “threaten and create chaos⁹”

Police in Bangkok announced they have increased security in public places after two explosions in a large shopping center in the Thai capital on Sunday. Two people were hurt.

The national police chief says the bombs, in his words, "were not designed to injure or kill anyone. They were intended to threaten and create chaos."

The prime minister told reporters on Monday the bombings show that martial¹⁰ law must remain in effect because, in his words, "there are bad people disrupting the peace."

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

New England Patriots¹¹ win the Super Bowl

And the biggest yearly sporting event in the United States took place Sunday.

The National Football League championship game is known as the Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the game. It was the first time the Patriots won the championship in 10 years.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television program of the year in the US. The National Retail¹² Federation¹³ estimated 184 million Americans would watch the game.

Words in the News

consider v. to give thought to; to think about carefully

proposal- n. a present or offer for consideration

disputes- n. a disagreement or argument

martial- adj. of or relating to war, soldiers or the military

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

3 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。

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 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。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 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。

8 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。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

11 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

12 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

13 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。