VOA标准英语2014--Koreas on Edge Amid Live-fire Drills

 

Koreas on Edge Amid Live-fire Drills

SEOUL— 

It has been another tense week on the Korean peninsula as North Korea threatened to again test nuclear weapons while the United States and South Korean forces held joint¹ military exercises.

The drills – conducted from Kunsan Air Base on South Korea’s coast – may not have been scheduled in response to specific threats from North Korea, but they demonstrate U.S. and South Korean forces’ capabilities².

The weeklong exercise called “Max Thunder” included approximately 80 U.S. and South Korean fighter jets, some of which flew from military bases in the United States. Commanders were simulating a rapid-response scenario³ to defend against both air and missile attacks.

Carrying out such a large-scale operation poses major coordination⁴ and communication challenges, U.S. Marine⁵ Corps⁶ pilot Captain Hugh Anderson said.

"For the briefings and de-briefings and the mission plannings, it’s just the language barrier," he said. "Working through, always having to go through an interpreter and everything has to be said twice."

At the same time on the Korean Peninsula’s southeast coast, more than 1,000 South Korean marines conducted an amphibious landing exercise with U.S. support.

UN cites rights violations⁷

While these joint military exercises were underway, a United Nations committee approved a resolution calling on the international organization’s Security Council to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court for alleged⁸ human rights violations.

Pyongyang called the vote a hostile action. In a statement read on North Korea’s State television, the government said it would respond by conducting new nuclear tests: "Our deterrence⁹ will grow unlimitedly¹⁰ stronger to cope with the armed intervention¹¹ and invasive plans by the U.S."

While tensions remain high between the United States and North Korea, American military leaders say their defensive¹² exercises are not planned in response to any specific threat or event.

"Certainly, there are events that go on every day. Tensions rise and fall on the peninsula – that’s the nature of being here," said Air Force Colonel Ken¹³ Ekman, commander of the Kunsan joint exercises. "We focus not so much on what’s the current risk today but what’s the state of our readiness."

However, Ekman said these massive displays of force are intended show North Korea and other countries in the region that the U.S. remains¹⁴ a dominant¹⁵ military power in Asia.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 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

9 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

10 unlimitedly   

无限地，无例外地

参考例句：

• Food will be supplied unlimitedly in that area. 该地区的食品供应将不受限制。
• The bytes can be unlimitedly sent or received during the bus transfer operation. 在总线传送操作期间，字节可以无限发送或接收。

11 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。

12 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

13 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

14 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。

15 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。