2006年VOA标准英语-Mideast Diplomacy Intensifies While Attacks Con

By Sonja Pace
Jerusalem
23 July 2006

Three senior European envoys¹ held talks with Israeli officials ahead of a visit to the region by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. But as diplomacy² intensifies³ to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, rocket attacks, bombing raids, and fierce ground clashes continue unabated.

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The German and French foreign ministers as well as a minister from the British foreign office held rounds of meetings Sunday with Israeli leaders.

The talks took place before a visit to the area by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who has said she is coming to discuss a long-term solution to the crisis and not an immediate⁴ cease-fire.

Israel's senior commander in the north, General Udi Adam made it clear Israel is not ready for a cease-fire just yet. Speaking on Israeli television, Adam said it will take time. It is important that the end will be a success and achieve the goals of the mission, he said - adding it will take weeks and patience.

 
Body of an Israeli man lies next to his car after he was killed by shrapnel from a rocket fired by Hezbollah guerrillas from Lebanon in Haifa, July 23, 2006
  
Adam said Israeli troops are slowly closing in on Hezbollah rocket launching sites. Israeli troops are operating inside southern Lebanon looking for Hezbollah positions, and have reportedly met with some fierce resistance as troops try to extend their reach from the border.

The ground operations have not stopped the rocket attacks. Dozens of Katyushas again hit northern Israel, several barrages⁵ hitting the port city of Haifa.

Two people were killed and more than a dozen injured.

Israeli warplanes also pounded targets across Lebanon, focusing in particular on the south and southern neighborhoods of Beirut. 

Jan Egeland, UN's top humanitarian⁶ official, inspects destruction wrought⁷ by Israeli air raids on south Beirut, July 23, 2006   
  
While southern Beirut is well known as a Hezbollah stronghold, it is also a densely⁸ populated civilian⁹ area. U.N. Humanitarian Relief Coordinator¹⁰ Jan Egeland toured one neighborhood that had been hit just hours earlier and sharply criticized Israel's bombardment. "I would say that this seems to be an excessive use of force in an area with so many civilians¹¹ ... It makes it a violation¹² of humanitarian law," he said.

Grim television images from the southern city of Tyre showed wounded civilians, including women and children being brought to a hospital after their minibus was hit by an Israeli missile, as they had tried to escape from villages in the south.

Israel says it is not targeting civilians and blames Hezbollah for operating from within civilian areas. According to Lebanese authorities, more than 360 people, including civilians and children, have been killed in Lebanon during the past 12 days of violence.

Nearly 40 Israelis have been killed.

1 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。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 barrages   

n.弹幕射击( barrage的名词复数 )；火力网；猛烈炮火；河上的堰坝v.火力攻击（或阻击）( barrage的第三人称单数 )；以密集火力攻击（或阻击）

参考例句：

• In many Basidiomycetes barrages develop. 在许多担子菌中也发生一些栅栏。 来自辞典例句
• It's fun to be able to run around and do instant Barrages. 一边瞬发奥术弹幕一边四处跑确实很有趣。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

8 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

11 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。

12 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。