VOA标准英语2013--Jordanians Wary of US Force on Syrian Border

 

Jordanians Wary¹ of US Force on Syrian Border

The fighting in Syria has increasingly dragged in regional and international powers, even if - as in the case of the United States - the engagement appears reluctant.

The U.S. has plans to boost its small presence in neighboring Jordan, begun last year, to some 200 personnel - to prepare for a variety of scenarios², including a spillover of violence or the need to secure chemical weapons.

U.S. Defense³ Secretary Chuck Hagel says military intervention⁴ “is always an option” but in the case of Syria, "an option of last resort."

Such assurances have not calmed the fears of all Jordanians, says journalist Assil Mezher.

"We all know that when countries move troops into other countries that means a war is coming on the way," said Mezher.

Jordan is already deeply affected⁵ by the conflict, now in its third year, taking in nearly half a million Syrian refugees and straining its limited resources.  It has also been pulled by an uncomfortable web of alliances, including pro-opposition⁶ "Friends of Syria," the Syrian government's supporters in Iran, and its cold-peace ally, Israel.

Jordan has outwardly tried to stay neutral in the conflict, but hosting U.S. forces places it more firmly with the Syrian opposition.

Some in Jordan welcome that move, but insist the U.S. must not intervene directly on the rebels' side, says analyst⁷ Salem al Falahat.

"This is condemned⁸ by the Arab nations and this causes harm to the Syrian revolution," said al Falahat.

The U.S. has made clear it understands the complexities⁹ involved and the risk of unintended consequences that intervention could cause.

But some in Jordan were rattled¹⁰  when The Los Angeles Times last month quoted senior U.S. officials as saying up to 20,000 U.S. troops could be deployed¹¹, says analyst Fayez al Dwairi.

"The American position is not clear and not stable with regards to the Syrian crisis," said al Dwairi.

But as the U.S. draws down after a decade of military intervention in the region, even analysts¹² unsure of American intentions say they believe the U.S. presence is likely to remain limited for now. 

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

2 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

9 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

10 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

11 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。

12 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。