VOA标准英语2014--乌克兰准备应对可能的俄罗斯的攻击

 

Ukraine Readies for Possible Russian-backed Attack 乌克兰准备应对可能的俄罗斯的攻击

DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS, UKRAINE— 

Ukraine's military is preparing to repel¹ a possible assault by Russian-backed rebels in the east following reports of Russian military reinforcements crossing the border.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said Monday in an interview with the German daily Bild that the country is ready for total war.

Ukraine's military is beefing up its defenses just a few kilometers from rebel-held territory in the Luhansk region.

Private Sergei Eava with the 39th battalion³ says the Ukraine soldiers have to be prepared.

“We received information that our guys were being shelled … yesterday with artillery⁴ and grads [rockets],” Eava said.

The captain and commander of the new checkpoint, who asked to be called Andriy, says they have plenty of ammunition⁵ but could use more men.

“We came here two days ago. We didn’t have any conflicts here with the other side yet, but they say that there are small groups working here, about 10 people in a group," Captain Andriy said. "We received this intelligence information.”

A Ukrainian soldier suddenly fires his machine gun toward rebel positions in front of a group of journalists, saying, “Warning shots.”

Frequent target of rebel fire

The post comes under frequent rebel fire and was hit by a grad rocket the day before, although no one was injured.

Senior Mortar⁶ Gunner Vyachelav says they are ready to fight off an assault.

“Yes, they’ve strengthened us and strengthened us quite well. They are hardening everything. So, if there is an attack, we will be prepared to repel it,” he said.

Captain Andriy Slota, squad⁷ commander, says they have new munitions⁸, but the men are tired.

“It’s time to end this singing and dancing and decide whether to move forward [militarily] or solve this on some legal level to let people go [demobilize soldiers]. Or, just return our country to us and let people go," Slota said. "Enough is enough. The time has come.”

Moscow has repeatedly denied directly supporting the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, and has described Russian troops seen fighting alongside pro-Russian separatists in the east as volunteers.

The rebels, fighting against the pro-Western government in Kyiv, said they fear it is the Ukrainian forces who are planning an offensive

NATO comments on buildup

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia has launched a "serious" military buildup both inside Ukraine and along its shared border, deploying⁹ troops and sophisticated equipment, including air defense² systems.

Speaking Tuesday in Brussels, Stoltenberg urged Moscow to pull back its troops and "contribute to a peaceful settlement" in Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces in the country's east.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Russia's "dangerous" actions have done more to coalesce¹⁰ the NATO alliance than any one thing. He said Russia's behavior will continue to require responses.

Putin US trying to 'subdue¹¹' Russia

Addressing a meeting of supporters in Moscow on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of seeking to "subdue" Russia, just days after receiving a frosty reception at the G20 meeting in Australia and following fresh accusations¹² that Moscow is putting increasing military pressure on Ukraine.

Asked whether the United States is trying to "humiliate¹³" Russia, Putin said the U.S. is seeking to "subdue us," to "solve their problems at our expense" and to "bring us under their control." He added that no one has ever been able to subjugate¹⁴ Russia, and never will.

Also Tuesday, Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called on Russia to hold "serious negotiations¹⁵ on a neutral territory."

Over the weekend, Putin heard Western leaders, including President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, sharply criticize Russia's actions in Ukraine at the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia.

Ukrainian casualties

Ukraine's military said Tuesday at least five soldiers were killed and eight wounded in fighting since Sunday.

Also, Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on all parties to the conflict to abide¹⁶ by a September ceasefire agreement between Kyiv and the rebels.

Steinmeier spoke¹⁷ to reporters in the Ukrainian capital, ahead of a visit to Moscow.

In London, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that Russia "has to be consistently reminded of its obligations" under the agreement.

According to figures from the United Nations, the seven-month conflict in Ukraine has claimed over 4,100 lives and left nearly 10,000 wounded.

1 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

2 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。

3 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

4 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

7 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

8 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

9 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

10 coalesce   

v.联合，结合，合并

参考例句：

• And these rings of gas would then eventually coalesce and form the planets.这些气体环最后终于凝结形成行星。
• They will probably collide again and again until they coalesce.他们可能会一次又一次地发生碰撞，直到他们合并。

11 subdue   

vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制

参考例句：

• She tried to subdue her anger.她尽力压制自己的怒火。
• He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.他强迫自己克制并战胜恐惧心理。

12 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

13 humiliate   

v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace

参考例句：

• What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢？
• They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我，这只能使我感到羞辱。

14 subjugate   

v.征服；抑制

参考例句：

• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。
• After having been subjugated to ambition,your maternal instincts are at last starting to assert themselves.你那被雄心壮志压制已久的母性本能终于开始展现出来。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。