VOA常速英语2013--全世界对美国干预叙利亚意见不一

 

World Disagrees on Possible US Intervention¹ in Syria 全世界对美国干预叙利亚意见不一

The Obama administration is preparing a legal argument for undertaking² a military response to the use of chemical weapons against civilians³ in Syria.  Public opinion about military action in Syria varies both in the United States and abroad.

While world leaders pondered Wednesday how best to respond to Syria's alleged⁴ use of chemical weapons against its people, Syrian refugees in Jordan staged a demonstration⁵ in support of possible U.S. intervention. 

就在周三全世界领导人思考如何应对所谓叙利亚使用化学武器对付人民的指控时，在约旦的叙利亚难民发起游行支持美国进行干预。

"We've protested today to say to the free world and to [U.S. President Barack] Obama that the time has come," explained Ghareeb Shehada, a protest organizer. "The red line has been crossed by [Syrian President Bashar] Assad.  It's time to send a strong message to Bashar and to destroy scud⁶ missiles and the chemical weapons, which have been used by criminals to kill honest civilians." 

抗议组织者Ghareeb Shehada说，“我们今天游行的目的是向自由世界和奥巴马总统表示，干预的时间已经到了。叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德已经越过红线，是时候向巴沙尔发出强硬的信号了，时候毁灭飞毛腿导弹和化学武器了，罪犯使用这些武器来对付诚实的民众。”

For some refugees in Jordan's Zaatari camp, one of the world's largest, an intervention after two years of death and destruction in their country is too little too late. 

对于在全世界最大难民营之一—约旦扎塔利难民营的一些难民来说，在叙利亚经历两年的死亡和毁灭后进行干预有点晚了。

"The military strike is late, it should have taken place two years ago," complained Ibrahim Suleiman, a Syrian refugee in living Jordan, "and the ultimatums⁷ given by NATO, the Western and Arab nations, should have been given a long time ago. They are too late, our people have died, our people were slaughtered⁸, children, women, even old men.''

在约旦居住的叙利亚难民易卜拉欣·苏莱曼说，“军事打击已经晚了，早在两年前就该如此了。很早以前北约、西方国家和阿拉伯国家就应该发出最后通牒了，他们太晚了，我们的人民失去了，我们的人民遭受屠杀，包括儿童、妇女，甚至还有老人。”

While many Western leaders call for a military strike in Syria, some of their citizens are opposed to a costly⁹ military intervention at a time of economic austerity at home. A group of demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's office in London after Britain sought U.N. backing for action against the Syrian government. 

尽管许多西方领导人呼吁对叙利亚进行军事打击，他们本国的公民却反对在经济紧缩时期进行成本巨大的军事干预。就在英国要求联合国支持对叙利亚政府采取行动后，一群游行者聚集在伦敦首相办公室外抗议。

"But they are going to make it worse, they are going to ruin it, and they're going to make it like Iraq and we do not want it to happen there," opined Jihan, a protester in London. "We don't want Syria to be the same as Iraq."

伦敦的一名抗议者说，“但他们这样会让事情更糟，这会造成毁灭，他们这样会让叙利亚像伊拉克一样，我们不希望如此，我们不想让叙利亚成为另一个伊拉克。”

Commentator¹⁰ Bryan Bender of the Boston Globe newspaper said the most recent public opinion polls show that 60 percent of Americans are opposed to any military role for the United States in Syria.  He said the protracted¹¹ war in Iraq is often given as the reason.

波士顿环球报的评论员布莱恩·本德说，最近的民调显示，60%的美国人反对美国对叙利亚进行任何军事干预，他说伊拉克旷日持久的战争就是一个例证。

"In the wake of the Iraq war, where weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, possibly nuclear weapons, were the rationale for the war, and it turned out that [former Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein did not have them, I think that there's going to be a lot of skepticism in the United States, but also abroad," Bender said.

“在伊拉克战争后，结果发现伊拉克前领袖萨达姆·侯赛因根本就没有那些原本作为战争理由的大规模杀伤性武器、化学、生物以及可能的核武器。我想不仅美国，国外也对此存有很多怀疑。”

Bender added that if President Obama decides on a military strike in Syria he will have to convince the American public that it is necessary and also address the risks of expanding the U.S. role in the Syrian war.

本德说，如果总统奥巴马决定对叙利亚采取军事打击，他必须说服美国公众这是必要的，同时还要解决美国在叙利亚战争中角色扩大化的风险。

1 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。

2 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

6 scud   

n.疾行；v.疾行

参考例句：

• The helpers came in a scud.救援者飞奔而来。
• Rabbits scud across the turf.兔子飞快地穿过草地。

7 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

8 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

11 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》