VOA标准英语2011--Hope For Peace Fades in Turkey Over PKK

Hope For Peace Fades in Turkey Over PKK Attack

The Turkish government has vowed¹ strong retaliation² against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), after Kurdish rebels launched a deadly attack on Turkish soldiers in Hakkari province near Turkey's border with Iraq. The killings³ are the latest escalation⁴ in the more than two decades of conflict and hopes of a peaceful solution are now fading fast.
Nine soldiers were killed in an ambush⁵ near the Iraqi border that was blamed on the Kurdish rebel group the PKK.
The Turkish army retaliated⁷ with airstrikes, but it is believed the rebels had already crossed back to their bases in neighboring Iraq.
The attack brought an angry response from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Terrorists martyred our children," Ergogan said. "May God rest their lost. Terror is a cruel phenomena⁸ - without a religion, without a nation, without a race, without a country."
The PKK has stepped up attacks after ending its unilateral cease-fire last month.
Since 1984, the rebel group since has been fighting for greater Kurdish rights in a conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. At least 30 soldiers have died in the past few weeks. And, with the deaths coming in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, it has added to the anger in Turkey against the PKK.
Earlier this month, Erdogan warned Turkey's restraint in action against the rebel group was coming to the end. He said with the passing of Ramadan, Turkey's armed forces would retaliate⁶. Ramadan ends in two weeks.
Journalist and military affairs expert Metehan Demir says the government's reaction will be tough.
"The nature of the operations will be harsh tough, and will include no mercy," said Demir. "And also will include more military air bombings. It will also include cross-border operations."
The bulk of the PKK are based in northern Iraq. Two years ago, Turkish forces entered the region in a week-long incursion.
Analysts⁹ say Turkey may coordinate¹⁰ its expected operation with Iran, which is already engaged in a major operation against an offshoot of the PKK.
After last month's general-election victory, the prime minister had promised a new constitution that would address many of the Kurdish minority's demands.
But with the hope of peace fading, the fear is growing that Turkey could return to the 1990s - the peak of the conflict with the PKK. That decade saw tens of thousands of people killed, hundreds of thousands more forced from their homes, and Turkey's economy nearly bankrupted.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

4 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

5 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

6 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

7 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

8 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。