VOA标准英语2008年-Fighting Continues in Sri Lanka Despite Tamil T

Sri Lanka's government says it has no faith in a unilateral cease-fire declared by rebel Tamil Tigers for the duration of a South Asian leader's summit. Fighting is continuing in the north while a security blanket is being thrown over the capital to ensure nothing goes amiss while visiting dignitaries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation are present. VOA's Steve Herman reports from Colombo.

Perhaps only in Baghdad is there another national capital where security on the streets is this tight.

Soldiers on Colombo's Marine¹ Drive, parallel to the Indian Ocean, randomly² pull over vehicles for inspections³ and to scrutinize⁴ identification cards of drivers and passengers. In a drive of a few kilometers motorists can be expected to be halted several times at roadblocks.

Sri Lanka has deployed⁵ an additional 12,000 police officers and 7,000 military personnel to augment⁶ normally tight security. The goal is to prevent any attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The Tamil Tigers, on the defensive⁷ in the north of the country, have declared a unilateral 10-day cease-fire while dignitaries are in the capital for the leader's summit of SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Despite that declaration, fighting between troops and the Tamil Tigers is continuing on three fronts.

Army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara tells VOA News the government cannot trust the rebels to observe their own cease-fire and will try to keep them on the defensive while Sri Lanka hosts the high profile regional summit.

"They are terrorists. Whenever they declare a unilateral cease-fire they have some kind of hidden agenda," he said. "You cannot believe them so we have taken necessary precautions and at the same time we'll be applying pressure on them so that they'll have to concentrate on their own ground rather than creating any sabotage⁸ activities in the areas in Colombo."

There are conflicting accounts of this week's fighting in the northern Wanni region. The military says more than 30 rebels and three government soldiers died. Media reports quote the Tigers, who have been fighting for 25 years for an independent Tamil homeland, as claiming success in resisting the military offensive and killing⁹ five soldiers.

Some 1,000 delegates of SAARC are converging¹⁰ on Colombo. Later in the week the heads of governments are expected to arrive from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius and the United States are sending observer delegations¹¹.

 

 

 

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

3 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。

5 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。

6 augment   

vt.(使)增大，增加，增长，扩张

参考例句：

• They hit upon another idea to augment their income.他们又想出一个增加收入的办法。
• The government's first concern was to augment the army and auxiliary forces.政府首先关心的是增强军队和辅助的力量。

7 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。

8 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

9 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。

10 converging   

adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Plants had gradually evolved along diverging and converging pathways. 植物是沿着趋异和趋同两种途径逐渐演化的。 来自辞典例句
• This very slowly converging series was known to Leibniz in 1674. 这个收敛很慢的级数是莱布尼茨在1674年得到的。 来自辞典例句

11 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法