2006年VOA标准英语-Israel Pounds Lebanon for Seventh Day, Hezbolla

By Sonja Pace
Haifa
18 July 2006
 
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A barrage¹ of Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel, killing² one man and injuring at least 14 others, while Israel continued its bombardment and air strikes of Lebanon, killing at least 30 people. VOA's Sonja Pace was in northern Israel, including the port city of Haifa and reports on events there.

It was 12:45 local time in Haifa when the air raid sirens went off. Seconds later the sound of a dull thud in the distance signaled a Katyusha rocket had hit.

The few people who were on the streets of this normally bustling³ city hurried back to their homes or into air raid shelters.

 
Israeli border police and emergency vehicles arrive at site where rocket fired from Lebanon directly hit a building in Nahariya, July 18, 2006
  
Israel radio reported four rockets had hit Haifa, this time with no casualties and little damage. But, it was not to be the last attack of the day.

In all, Hezbollah rockets struck towns across northern Israel, including Nahariya, Safed, Acre and Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee.

This was the seventh straight day of violence and it has taken its toll⁴.
 

Member of Lebanese civil defense⁵ rides his motorcycle amongst rubble⁶, in Beirut suburbs after Israeli airstrikes targeted area, July 18, 2006  
  
In Lebanon, thousands of foreigners prepared to leave the country as Israeli warplanes continued to pound suspected Hezbollah positions in and around Beirut.

U.N. peace envoys⁷ were in Israel to boost diplomatic efforts to end the violence.

And in Haifa, residents reacted to the latest rocket attacks with a mixture of fear, anger and resignation.

Standing⁸ across from an apartment building that was hit by a Katyusha rocket on Monday, Yaakov leaves no doubt who is to blame. He says he has only disdain⁹ for the Shiite Muslims to the north.

"I know them well from my time in the military in southern Lebanon," he said, adding bluntly "they are bad people and we should have killed more of them."

While Yaakov's reaction may be extreme, an Israeli opinion poll shows the public strongly supports Israel's latest military action.

On a small street in the old section of Haifa, four men sit at tables outside a café playing backgammon. They say there is little use sitting at home. If we are to die, it's God's will, they say.

Nearby, Schmuel Belen, 95, has come out to visit his friend, the local shopkeeper.

"I am [an] old man. … before 63 years, before Hitler," he said. "So, I see more. I speak to you. I am [an] old man. I may die today, tomorrow."

Schmuel Belen shrugs¹⁰ off the violence, saying he's seen so much worse under the Nazis¹¹, back in his home in Romania.

A mother and child rest Tuesday morning (July 18, 2006) in public shelter in Haifa, after spending the night there as advised by Israeli civil defense service  
  
Belen is a Jew, his friend the shopkeeper is a Christian¹² Arab. They've known each other for years and the shopkeeper checks on his friend to make sure he is ok.

Not all people here are as unfazed by the violence as Belen and his friend. Many have already left Haifa and other towns across the north for safer areas in the south. Others have expressed their hopes in graffiti near Haifa's port calling for a cease-fire, an end to the violence.

1 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

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 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

5 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。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

10 shrugs   

n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
• She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网

11 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。