VOA标准英语2011--Libyan Uprising Boosts Morale in Mideast

Libyan Uprising Boosts Morale¹ in Mideast

The apparent victory by rebels in Libya is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East. An uprising that appeared to be lost is boosting the morale of protesters facing other Arab governments that have responded with severe repression².
The Middle East is notorious for the longevity³ of its rulers. Even after Tunisians and Egyptians overthrew⁴ their leaders, many considered those uprisings flukes. And Moammar Gadhafi's brutal⁵ response to a popular revolt in Libya reinforced that view.
"Maybe the lesson of the Arab Spring was going to be if you're bloody⁶ enough to shoot peaceful demonstrators, then you get to stay in power," said Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Protests in Bahrain also faced a brutal response, with military help from Saudi Arabia. And Yemen's uprising has entered a stalemate.
David Pollock of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says the so-called Arab Spring remains⁷ in doubt.
"This is a long and drawn⁸ out and still unfinished process, and it's still not clear what the outcome is going to be even in some of the places that have been in turmoil⁹ since February or March," added Pollock.
Still, he says what is happening in Libya will be a boost for the anti-government protesters elsewhere, especially in Syria.
Last week, the United States and its key European allies called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, and banned Syrian oil imports.
The U.S. would not have taken that step, says Michele Dunne of the Atlantic Council, if not for earlier criticism of Assad from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
"The fact that they're all now turning against al-Assad and saying that they're out of patience with him. This is a really important development," noted¹⁰ Dunne.
As Libyan rebels were entering Tripoli last weekend, Assad went on state television and insisted his government is not in danger of falling.
"I think that that is probably a sign of fear on his part," noted Pollock. He adds that Assad's remark should not be taken at face value.

1 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

3 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

4 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。