VOA慢速英语2015 克里谴责东乌克兰的人权侵犯

Kerry Deplores¹ Rights Violation² in Eastern Ukraine 克里谴责东乌克兰的人权侵犯

The top United States’ diplomat³ says men, women and children in eastern Ukraine “are being killed, tortured and raped⁴.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made the comment Monday during a visit to Geneva, Switzerland. Secretary Kerry spoke⁵ to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.

Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to the U.N. group. He reported that, in his words, “tangible progress” has been made in efforts to carry out a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. He urged Ukraine’s government to distance itself from what he called “extremists.”

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said Russian-supported separatists continue to violate the ceasefire agreement. The United States and its European allies are considering new actions to punish Russia for its involvement in Ukraine.

The U.N. Human Rights Office reported Monday that more than 6,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since April of last year.

U.S. calls for an investigation⁶ in Boris Nemtsov’s murder

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called for a clear investigation into the murder of Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition⁷ leader.

Over the weekend, Mr. Kerry spoke on the ABC news program This Week.

He said: “We hope there will be a thorough, transparent⁸, real investigation, not just of actually who fired the shot, but whom, if anyone may have ordered or instructed this or been behind this.”

Mr. Nemtsov was shot to death late last Friday near the Kremlin. He was walking home after dinner with a girlfriend. Mr. Nemtsov was a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Putin said that he will personally oversee⁹ the investigation into the killing¹⁰. Russian officials also announced a reward worth about $50,000 for information about Mr. Nemtsov’s murder.

In the U.S., former Russian chess champion and rights activist¹¹ Gary Kasparov appeared on the NBC news program Meet the Press. He said that he is not sure if Mr. Putin was involved. But Mr. Kasparov said that Mr. Putin’s rule of Russia created the atmosphere that played a part in the killing.

Top diplomat says US will fairly examine Israel’s rights record

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defended Israel Monday at the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting. He told the Council’s members there is, what he called, a clear “unbalanced focus” on Israel.

Secretary Kerry questioned why so many of the Council’s resolutions were directed at Israel. He said the United States will fairly examine questions about Israel’s rights record. But he added that U.S. officials will not support efforts to unfairly criticize Israeli actions or separate Israel from the rest of the world.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington. Mr. Netanyahu will speak to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday. Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner invited the Israeli leader to give the speech without first contacting President Barack Obama.

The invitation has divided Americans. Nearly half of those questioned say lawmakers should not have invited him to speak without first informing the Obama administration. Thirty percent of those questioned thought the invitation was acceptable.

Iraq strikes Islamic State group in Tikrit

Iraqi troops and militia¹² fighters attacked Islamic State forces in an area north of Baghdad Monday. Military commanders said Iraq’s air force carried out airstrikes on Islamic State targets. They also said ground troops moved toward Islamic State fighters.

The attacks are part of a highly publicized campaign to recapture the Iraqi city of Tikrit. Islamic State forces have held Tikrit since June when they captured part of northern Iraq.

North Korea fires rockets as US South Korea begin military exercise

North Korea has fired two missiles into the sea in what appears to be a protest against a joint¹³ U.S. and South Korean military exercise. South Korean officials say the missiles fell into the East Sea, about 490 kilometers from the North Korean port of Nampo.

The North Korean government has warned of “merciless strikes” against its enemies. North Korea has long demanded that the U.S. and South Korea stop the yearly military exercises. The North Korean government has denounced them as preparation for a northward¹⁴ invasion.

Words in This Story

diplomat – n. a person who represents his or her government in dealing¹⁵ with another government

comment – n. statement; an expression or opinion about something

punish – v. to cause pain, suffering or loss for doing something bad or illegal

criticize – v. to say what is wrong with something or someone; to condemn; to judge

1 deplores   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often deplores his past sins. 他经常痛悔自己过去的罪恶。 来自辞典例句
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

2 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

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 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 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。

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

9 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

10 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。

11 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

12 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

13 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。

14 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。