VOA标准英语2012--Rival Militias Still Fighting in Libya

 

Rival Militias² Still Fighting in Libya

Fadi Tarapolsi was at the White House the night Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s reign³ came to an end. “I’m on cloud nine right now, you know,” he said.

Tarapolsi returned to Libya with his ailing⁴ father to celebrate his country’s liberty.

“There’s some frustration⁵ there and they want to see some movement, but, at the same time, we are basically building everything from scratch," he said. "So it’s very important to do it right the first time.”

In two weeks, Libyans will elect a 200-member assembly to write a constitution and select a cabinet - but the elections may be delayed. This week, Libyan authorities regained⁶ control of the country's main airport after it was briefly⁷ seized by militiamen armed with heavy machine guns. 

Last month, several people died during a militia¹ protest outside the prime minister’s office. Several militias refuse to lay down their guns or join Libya's security force.

"A lot of the violence we've seen in the past six months has been the result of pre-existing tensions just boiling over," said Spencer Butts⁸, with the Institute for the Study of War. "It's not necessarily violence that's directed at the authorities. A lot of it is tit-for-tat kidnappings or revenge killings⁹ that have spiralled out of control."

“It’s almost at a tipping point now as far as with the small, little factions¹⁰. It could develop into something more dangerous,” said Tarapolsi.

Libyan American activist¹¹ Ismail Suayah just returned from Libya, where he addressed several hundred people in Martyrs¹² Square. He told Libyans to be patient and to support the national army as it establishes security and rebuilds the country.

“Young people are still in the militia? Yeah, for the lack of other things to do. The struggle for power? Sure, that’s expected," Suayah stated. "The transitional government is not doing what people want? Sure, that’s anticipated. These things are going to take time.”

Suayah says when he visited Libya in years past, he’d see tears of joy, tempered with despair. Now he sees tears of joy, enhanced with hope, as Libyans await the election.

Four out of five eligible¹³ voters in Libya have registered to cast a vote. It will be the country’s first democratic election after more than 40 years under the rule of Moammar Gadhafi. 

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

5 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

6 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 butts   

笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
• The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。

9 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。

10 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

11 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

12 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。